


After Her

by TacoCat2020



Series: Gold Medal Family [1]
Category: Swimming RPF
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Eventual Smut, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gratuitous Smut, Kid Fic, M/M, Shameless Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-04
Updated: 2015-06-28
Packaged: 2018-03-10 13:01:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 36,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3291269
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TacoCat2020/pseuds/TacoCat2020
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>AU where Ryan is raising his young son, who was born after a drunken night in college.  When he gains sole custody of the young boy, they relocate to Baltimore to begin a new life.  Michael is recently retired from competition, and teaching swimming lessons with Allison.  Ryan’s son begins lessons in Michael’s class, and the rest is history.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

It had been seven years. Seven years. All because of one night and a stupid mistake. Sure, the stupid mistake had led to something wonderful, but the events leading up to it, and some of what happened after, still hurt.

It all started near the end of his senior year in college. He was at a party in the backyard of his best friend Sarah’s sorority house on the far edge of the college campus. Her sorority was celebrating that finals were almost over. Ryan was sitting on a picnic table with Sarah. They had been best friends since the beginning of freshman year. They were talking, and reminiscing about the past four years. 

Sarah stared out at the yard. “Hey, Ry?” she said, avoiding eye contact.

“Hey, what?”, Ryan asked, as he put his arm around her. 

Sarah hesitated. “I kinda have a crush on you”, she slurred through her wine-soaked haze.

“I’m gay”, is what he should have said. “I… let’s go upstairs”, is what came out instead.

Sara rested her head on his shoulder, and with his fingertips, he gently stroked one of her legs, which were encased in a tight pair of jeans. “Okay”, she said softly.

As the night went on, things got hazy. They had both had a lot to drink, and they found themselves upstairs in Sarah’s bedroom at her sorority house. It started with a kiss. Then the clothes started to come off. 

He was lying naked with the most beautiful girl on campus. That was something that a lot of guys would have killed for. All of his swim team buddies had huge crushes on Sarah. And with good reason. She’s stunningly beautiful, first of all. She’s also really smart. She got into medical school, but deferred acceptance and decided that she wanted to move to California after graduation and try acting for a while.   
Ryan glances over at her and smiled. She rubs her hands all over his strong, tan body. He collapses on top of her, and she kissed his neck. He licked the birthmark above her collarbone.

“Will you make love to me?”, she slurred.

“Sarah”, he said softly. “We’ve had a lot to drink. I don’t want to do anything that we’re going to regret.”

Ryan could tell that Sarah was trying not to cry. She always cried when she had been drinking. “Please?”, she asked.

Ryan sighed, and let himself enter her. He loved Sarah, but just not like that. He tried to just give into the moment and enjoy it. When he finished, he rolled off of her, and collapsed next to her on the bed. “Jeah”, was all he could say in reaction.

“Fuck Jeah”, Sarah agreed. “Stay here with me?”

Ryan nodded, and gently stroked her bare shoulder with the back of his hand. “Okay”, he said softly.

Ryan pulled Sarah close to him. Slowly, but surely, they drifted off to sleep. What felt like only minutes later, the sun crept through the shades at Sarah’s window. Ryan woke up, slightly disoriented, but fortunately not nearly as hungover as he expected to be. He saw Sarah sleeping peacefully next to him, and tried to piece together the events of the previous night. “Oh, Fuck”, he muttered to himself, suddenly acutely aware of what had happened.

Sarah’s eyes flew open. “Hi, Baby!”, she exclaimed. 

“What?”, Ryan asked softly.

“We should do that again sometime”, Sarah said. “I’m in love with you.”

Ryan sighed and fell back onto the pillows. “I don’t know, hon”, he said. “We’re best friends. We’re graduating in a few days, and then you’re moving to California. You know how much I care about you…”

“…but we shouldn’t start a relationship now”, Sarah finished for him. “I get it.”

“I’m sorry”, Ryan said. “I should go back to my dorm.”

Sarah nodded and wiped away a tear. “It’s okay”, she said softly, as she pulled the covers back up to her chin.

Ryan stood up and pulled on his clothes from the previous night. He took his wallet off of the nightstand and put it in his pocket. “See ya, Sarah”, he said.

“See ya, Ry”, Sarah mumbled, as she turned and buried her face in the pillow.

He walked out of the room, and quietly stepped into the bathroom across the hall. He sat on the edge of the tub and buried his face in his hands. Then he stood up and turned on the sink faucet. He splashed cold water on his face and tried to forget what had happened. “Shit”, he said out loud. He felt awful, because he felt like he had used Sarah. He wasn’t that guy. He never wanted to be that guy. He tried to remind himself that it had been Sarah’s idea.

No one knows about Ryan. He hasn’t even told his mom, and he tells her a lot. He should have told Sarah. He knows that he should have told her that he’s, you know, into dudes. But he didn’t. He didn’t because he had liked how Sarah felt underneath him. He liked the smell of her perfume. She smelled familiar. After graduation, after stepping off the stage, he'd be stepping into something unfamiliar. 

He hated to admit it, but he was scared. He was never scared. He had spent the past four years partying. He worked hard too, of course. He studied, got good grades, broke swimming records for his school several times. He just had no idea what was going to happen once the dean handed him his degree. He was certain that he could get any job he wanted, but that was the problem. He didn’t know what he wanted.

He had done so well since high school. He was graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Physical Therapy from a great school. He was an NCAA Champion swimmer. He loved swimming butterfly, but had this secret goal of someday racing Michael Phelps in the 200 Individual Medley. He also had a bit of a crush on Michael. 

Olympic Trials were going to take place a few weeks after graduation. Ryan had been training hard, and convinced himself that he was ready. He was ready for anything. As soon as he crossed the stage, he’d be starting the next chapter in his life. He was ready for whatever the universe threw at him. Nothing was going to stand in his way. What he didn’t know, was that all of his plans were about to change.


	2. Chapter 2

After graduation, Ryan moved back to his mother’s house. He was going to start looking for an apartment after he started his new job. The first thing he needed to do was get in shape for Olympic trials. 

He hoisted himself out of the pool. With each workout, he tried to push himself to do more than he had done the day before. He felt like was ready. His mom made him promise to give himself a day off, so he was looking forward to spending the next day sleeping in, and maybe going to see a movie. Ike had stipulated that “taking a day off” meant a day off from all workouts, not just swimming until his limbs felt like jelly, so he was banned from taking his daily run too. If he were to be honest with himself, he was okay with that. He loved how his workouts made him feel, but he also didn’t mind taking a day to just relax and hang out. He thought he might go to the mall or maybe go see a move.

He was feeling great, both physically and mentally. He had spent a lot of time with his friends, partying late into the night a few times a week. They had bonfires on the beach, maybe drinking a bit too much, and finding the occasional hookup. Ryan was happy and loving life. He and Sarah hadn’t talked about what happened before graduation, but he thought maybe that was for the best. He was starting his new job at the local gym as a personal trainer in a few weeks. After that, he was hoping to try to meet someone. He was ready to start dating, and maybe find someone special to start something with.

After his swim, he went into the locker room and took a shower. Then he drove home. His mom made empanadas for dinner, and he was looking forward to a good meal and a relaxing night in.

“How was your workout, honey?”, Ike asked as she piled Ryan’s plate with food and handed it to him.

“It was great, mama”, Ryan said, as he happily dug into his dinner. “I really think I’m ready for trials.”

“It’s so good to see you this excited, honey”, Ike said. “I’m proud of you. You work so hard. You’re still taking a day for yourself tomorrow, right?”

Ryan nodded. “Yes, mama”, he said. He knew better than to disobey Mama Lochte. “I’m going to sleep late, then maybe go to the mall.”

“Good”, Ike said. “You deserve a break.”

Later that night, Ryan went up to his childhood bedroom, crawled into bed, and didn’t set his alarm. He was looking forward to just sleeping, and not having to wake up to work out.

A few hours after he fell asleep, his phone buzzed on his nightstand, disrupting his sleep. Ryan groaned, and sleepily grabbed his phone.

**[Sarah 5:45 AM]** U awake? I need u.  
 **[Ryan 5:47 AM]** I am now. call me.  
 **[Sarah 5:49 AM]** I’m outside. Drove through the night. Come downstairs.  
 **[Ryan 5:50 AM]** On my way.

 

Ryan pulled on his jeans over his boxers, and threw on a t-shirt. He raced downstairs, and out the back door. He saw Sarah sitting on one of the lawn chairs in the backyard. It was unusual for her to just show up. She lives five hours away from Ryan, and he didn’t know what to think about her spontaneous visit.

“Hey” he said. He approached her, and sat in the chair next to her. “What’s up?”

Sarah looked the ground. “I’m pregnant, Ry”, she said quietly.

Ryan gasped, and leaned over and touched her arm. “What?”, he asked, shocked. “Is it…?”

Sarah rolled her eyes. “Yes, Ry”, she said. It’s yours. I never… you know… with anyone else.”

Ryan nodded. “Okay”, he said. “So, what do you want to do?”

Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know”, she said. “I don’t really want a kid, at least not right now, but my parents won’t approve if I end the pregnancy.”

Ryan nodded. “It’s your choice, Sarah”, he said gently. “but I kind of agree with your parents. Did you tell them yet?”

Sarah nodded. “Yeah”, she said. “They’re against me having an abortion, but… Ry, I don’t know what to do. I can’t raise a baby.”

“I’ll help you”, Ryan said automatically.

Sarah shook her head. “I can’t ask you to do that”, she said. “Maybe I can put him or her up for adoption.”

Ryan hesitated. “Is that really want you want to do, Sar?”, he asked. “Maybe there’s another way. We can raise this kid together. We can be a family. I can take care of the three of us.”

Sarah shook her head. “I don’t know, Ry”, she said. “Even if I wanted a kid… I can’t ask you to give up your hopes and dreams for me.”

Ryan couldn’t wait to have kids. He wanted to be a father, and couldn’t imagine raising a child with anyone other than his best friend. “I want to”, he said. “Please, Sarah. Let me help you.”

Sarah shrugged. “I think about it”, she said.

“Okay”, Ryan said. “Do you want to stay for breakfast? My Mom is probably awake. She can make us something.”

Sarah shook her head. “No, I’m staying with a friend halfway between here and my parents place. I should get going.”

“Okay”, Ryan said sadly. “Can I walk you to your car?”

Sarah nodded, and Ryan led her out to the driveway. “Thanks Ry”, she said.

“Any time, chica”, Ryan said, as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Call me if you need anything.”

“I will”, Sarah said quietly, as she climbed into her car. “Bye, Ry.”

“Bye, Sarah”, Ryan said as he closed Sarah’s car door for her.”

He watched as she pulled out of the driveway and down the street. Then he walked back into the house. Ike was bustling around the kitchen when he walked in.

“Hi Sweetie”, she said. “Where were you this early?”

Ryan hesitated. “I was outside”, he said. “Sarah was in the area, so she came by because she wanted to talk.”

Ike looked concerned. “Is everything okay, Ryan?”, she asked.

Ryan shook his head and sat down at the kitchen table. “She’s pregnant, Mama. and um… I’m the father.”

Ike dropped the spoon that she was using to stir the scrambled eggs cooking on the stove. “Ryan Steven!”, she exclaimed.

Ryan hung his head. “I know, ma”, he said. “I know.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”, Ike asked with her arms crossed.

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know”, he said. “She doesn’t want a baby, but her parents won’t approve of her ending the pregnancy. She mentioned putting the kid up for adoption, but….I don’t want her to do that. I offered to help her raise the kid but she didn’t seem interested in that idea either.”

“You’re a good boy, Ryan”, she said. “Do you love her?”

“I’m gay”, Ryan blurted out.

“What?” Ike asked, shocked.

“Mom, I’m gay”, Ryan said again.  
 Ike stood up and walked over to where Ryan was sitting. “I love you so much, sweetie”, she said. “and I’m proud of you.”

“I wanted to tell you, because I wanted to be honest with you”, Ryan said. “But me being gay isn’t the issue here. I can put my own relationships on hold if it means helping Sarah.”


	3. Chapter 3

After a few weeks went by, Ryan hadn’t heard much from Sarah. He tried not to worry to much about that. He was focused on his new job, training for Olympic trials, and buying furniture for his new apartment.

He loved his job, and enjoyed helping his clients with their fitness goals. He spent a lot of time at the pool after work, and went home every day feeling happy, healthy, and on top of the world. 

One afternoon, he was having a hard time concentrating at work. His thoughts were drifting to Sarah again. He hadn’t heard a word from her, and as much as he tried not to worry, it’s all he could think about. After he was done with his last client of the day, he went for a long swim to clear his head. Once he finished, he took a shower, then drove to his apartment. He was still thinking about Sarah. He was worried. He decided to give her a call to check in.

Sarah picked up after a few rings. “Hey, Ry”, she said quietly. “What’s up?”

Ryan sighed. “I just wanted to check on you”, he said. “How are you?”

“I’m okay”, Sarah said. “I’m going through with this pregnancy, then after that I don’t know what’s going to happen.”

“Is this really what you want?”, Ryan asked quietly.

“No, it’s what you wanted”, Sarah snapped.

“Sarah, it was never up to me”, Ryan said gently. “This was always your decision to make” 

There was a long pause before Sarah spoke again. “Yeah, but I thought you’d be mad if I had an abortion”, she said.

“It wouldn’t have been my first choice”, Ryan admitted. “but that’s the thing. It’s not my choice. You don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.”  
“I don’t want a baby, Ry”, Sarah replied tearfully. “I’m going through with this pregnancy for you. You said that if I had the baby, you’d raise it.”

Ryan gasped. That wasn’t exactly what he had meant. He had assumed Sarah knew that he meant that he would help her raise the baby, he didn’t mean that he would do it alone. “Sarah, I…”, Ryan began.

“I gotta go, Ry”, Sarah interrupted. “I’ll be in touch.”

“Wait”, Ryan said. “Do you want me to be there when…”

“I don’t care”, Sarah said. “See you around, Ry.”

Ryan sighed. “See ya”, he said quietly. He pressed the end call button on his phone, and buried his face in his hands.

He needed to take a break. He needed comfort food. What he needed, was to see his mom. He went outside and got into his car to drive to his mother’s house.

When he walked up to the front door, Ike opened it before he had the chance to knock. “Hi sweetie!”, She greeted him with a big hug. “Oh, look at you! You’re so strong!”

“Thanks, Mama!”, he said. “I’ve been working out a lot after work. Counting down to trials.”

“Come in”, she said, ushering him into the house. “What would you like for dinner?”

“Anything you have would be great”, Ryan replied. “I just wanted to get out of the house. It’s been a long day.”

“I made macaroni and cheese”, Ike said with a smile. “It’s your favorite.”

Ryan nodded. It is his favorite. He lives on his own now, and could make macaroni and cheese for himself if he wanted, but there was something very comforting about sitting in the kitchen of his childhood home, eating a home-cooked meal with his mom, one of his favorite people in the whole world.

Ike and Ryan sat down to eat their dinner. “How was work today?”, she asked. 

“It was great”, Ryan said with a smile. “My clients are awesome. I’m hoping that I’ll be able to build up more of a clientele this year.”

Ike nodded. Ike was watching Ryan carefully. She could tell that Ryan was upset about something, but couldn’t place what it was. She decided to just come right out and ask. “What’s wrong, honey?”, she asked.

Ryan sighed. “It’s nothing, Mom”, he replied. “Don’t worry about me.”

Ike shook her head. “Something is wrong, honey. Talk to me.”

Ryan let out another sigh. “I talked to Sarah today”, he said. “She decided to go through with the pregnancy.”

“Well, that’s a good thing, right?”, Ike asked.

Ryan nodded. “Yeah”, he began. “It’s her choice, but I’m glad it’s what she decided to do.”

“So what’s wrong?”, Ike asked gently.

“Well…”, Ryan began. “She said that she’s only doing it because she thought it’s what I wanted. When I told her that I’d help her raise the baby, she thought I meant that I’d raise him or her on my own…”

“Oh, Baby…”, Ike said with a gasp. “How do you feel about all that?”

Ryan frowned. “I mean… I want to be a dad someday”, he said. “but not now. I’m not ready.”

Ike smiled at him. “Ryan, sweetheart”, she said. “you can do anything that you set your mind to. You’re going to be a great dad. I’ll help you.”

Ryan nodded. “Thanks, Mama”, he said quietly. “but what about trials?” This was his big chance. His big chance not just to show the world what he was made of, but also to possibly catch the eye of his favorite swimmer and celebrity crush. He tried to stop thinking about that.

Ike eyed him carefully. “Well, Ryan. Now you must decide what’s more important to you.”

Ryan nodded. Swimming was so important to him. He had been looking forward to Olympic trials ever since he found out that his times were good enough to make it. He wanted to make the Olympic team, travel, and maybe make a career out of competing in his favorite sport. On the other hand, he wanted to be a dad. He wanted to be there for Sarah and his child, even if it meant raising the child on his own. Sometimes taking responsibility for one’s actions means giving up on dreams. Ryan knew what he had to do.


	4. Chapter 4

Ryan woke up the next morning to the sun streaming through his windows. He rolled out of bed, took a shower, then went into the kitchen to make himself some breakfast.

After he ate and washed his dishes, he drove to the pool. It was time to tell his coach that he wouldn’t be going to Olympic Trials. As he drove down the street, he was alone with his thoughts, and wondered if this is what he really wanted. While it broke his heart to give up on his dream, he believed that it was the right thing to do.

“Good Morning, Ryan!”, David, his coach greeted him cheerfully, as he walked into the building.

“Hey, Coach”, Ryan replied, somewhat distractedly. “Can we go into your office?”

“Of course, Ryan”, David said, as he led Ryan into his office. “What’s on your mind?”

Ryan sat down in a chair across from David’s desk. “Okay…” Ryan began. “I’ve decided that I don’t want to go to trials. I’m not going to the Olympics.”

David looked at Ryan over the top of his glasses. “What?”, he asked. “Why not? Ryan, what’s going on?”

Ryan sighed. “Well…”, he said. “My best friend from college is pregnant, and… I’m the dad. She’s not due until after the first of the year, but, like, I want to be with her this summer during the pregnancy, and eventually I’ll be helping her raise the kid, so I just don’t think a career in swimming is really in the cards for me. Not anymore.”

David looked at Ryan sadly. “Is that really want you want, Ryan?”, he asked.

Ryan nodded. “It’s not ideal”, he admitted. “I don’t want to give up my dream, but I have to be responsible. Sarah needs me. I have to do this… for her.”

“Okay”, David said. “Well, I’ll still see you around the pool, right? You’ll still come by?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know, David”, he said. “I think it might hurt too much.”

David nodded. “I’m really sorry to hear that, Ryan”, he said. “Just know that if you change your mind, you’ll always have a home here.”

Ryan smiled sadly. “Thanks”, he said. “I appreciate that. Maybe after some time has passed… I’m sure I’ll be back sometime. I’ll see you, David.”

David smiled sadly. “Goodbye, Ryan. I’m always here if you need me.”

Ryan picked up his workout bag and slung it over his shoulder. He smiled sadly and walked out of David’s office. He walked by the double doors of the pool on his way out. The chlorine smell was a bit too much for him to take. He swallowed the lump in his throat, and walked outside into the hot July afternoon.

He spent the rest of the summer hanging out with his friends, partying, drinking too much, making out in dark corners of dive bars, and occasionally finding someone to go home with. He was trying to distract himself. He didn’t want to think about what he had given up. He watched some of the Olympics, and watched his idols, the people whom he for so long had dreamed of competing with. He hated it. He hated that he wasn’t there with them. He hated that his childhood dream was just that. He hated… he hated himself for being upset in the first place. He had made the choice to give up swimming. No one asked him to do it.

By the end of the summer, Sarah moved in with him and slept in the guest room. He had promised to take care of her. They bickered like an old married couple, but shared the housecleaning and cooking duties. Soon enough, they fell back into their old routines. They stayed up all night taking. They watched movies and played games. They cooked together. It was like they were best friends again.

That winter, their son was born. Ryan fell in love with little Cooper immediately. He couldn’t wait to watch him grow up and teach him all about the world. Ike immediately took to being a grandmother, and visited the apartment frequently. Ryan and Sarah loved having her around, and were thankful for an extra set of hands helping around the house, and with the new baby. Sarah seemed to actually enjoy motherhood, despite her initial protests. Everything was going well. 

One morning, shortly before Cooper’s first birthday, Ryan woke up, and went to check on him. He was still sleeping soundly in his crib. Ryan saw how content he looked, and smiled to himself. He noticed that Sarah was nowhere to be found. He thought maybe she had gone out early to run some errands or something. He never expected what had actually happened.

He went into the kitchen and found a note taped to the door.

_Ry-  
I can’t do this anymore. I need to see if my acting career can really go somewhere. I’m moving to California. For real this time. You knew this would happen eventually right? Give Coop a kiss for me. I’m sorry._

_Goodbye Ryan._

_Sarah_

Ryan punched the door. Hard. It made his knuckles hurt. He heard Cooper start to cry in the other room.  
“Fuck”, he mumbled to himself, angry at Sarah for leaving, angry at himself that his outburst woke up Cooper.

He went into the other room and took Cooper out of the crib. He rubbed his back until he stopped crying. He changed him and fed him. Then he put him in his playpen. He picked up his phone to call Ike.

“Good Morning, honey!”, Ike said when she answered.

“Hey Mom”, Ryan said. “Sarah’s gone.”

“Oh Ry”, Ike said sadly. “I’m sorry, but you’re not… you’re not surprised are you?”

Ryan sighed. “No”, he said. “I’m not surprised. I just had this thought in the back of my mind that maybe things were going to work out. Maybe she’d stick around and I wouldn’t have to do this alone.”

“You’re not alone, Ry”, Ike said gently. “I’m here for you.”

“Thanks, Mama”, Ryan replied. 

“Do you need me to come over and take care of him while you go to work, or do you have someone else lined up?”, Ike asked.

Ryan smiled. “Thanks, Mom”, he said. “If you could come over, that would be great.”

“I’ll be right there”, Ike replied.

Ryan hung up the phone and went into the living room to play with Cooper while he waited for Ike to arrive.

“Hey Buddy!”, Ryan said when he saw his son’s smiling face. “Guess what? Grammy is going to come over to play with you today!”

“Cookie?” Cooper asked with a wide, partially toothless smile. “Cookie” was one of the first words that Cooper learned, and it had become one of his favorites.

Ryan smiled back. “Yes”, he said. “I’m sure Grammy will give you a cookie. She always does.”

A little while later, Ike arrived at the apartment. Ryan let her in, and led her into the living room. Ike went over to the playpen and picked up Cooper and kissed his forehead. “Hi Coop!”, she said. “How’s my little man?”

“Cookie!”, Cooper replied.

Ike smiled and rolled her eyes. “You’re just like your Daddy!”, she said glancing over at Ryan who grinned sheepishly, his mouth full of chocolate chip cookies.

“Thanks for coming, Mom”, he said once he finished chewing his snack.

“Of course, sweetie”, Ike replied. “Have a good day at work.”

“I will”, he said, as he picked up his workout bag, and left the apartment. “I’ll see you in a little while.”


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things are starting to happen for Ryan!

When Ryan got home from work later that evening, Ike was asleep on the couch. She opened her eyes when she heard Ryan come in. “Hi honey!”, she greeted him.

Ryan tossed his workout bag in the chair. “Hi Mama!”, he said cheerfully. “How was he?”

“A perfect angel”, Ike replied with a smile. “I fed him and put him to bed.”

“Thanks”, Ryan said. “I really appreciate you coming this morning on such short notice.”

“Of course!” Ike said with a smile, as she stood up to give Ryan a hug. “He’s a good boy, Ryan”

Ryan hugged her back tightly. “Thanks, Mom”, he said.

“And so are you”, she said, as she kissed him. “So, what are you going to do?”

“About what?”, Ryan asked.

“You know what I mean”, Ike said gently. “What are you going to do about yourself and your son? Your apartment is great, but it’s not great for raising a kid…”

Ryan considered this. “What are you suggesting?”, he asked.

Ike shrugged. “I don’t know, honey”, she said. “Have you thought about moving? Maybe you could start a new life for yourself somewhere else…”

Ryan pouted. “Are you trying to get rid of me, Ma?”, he asked, laughing a bit.

Ike smiled. “Of course not, sweetie”, she said. You just don’t seem happy. I want to see you happy.”

“I’m happy, Ma”, he said. “I am.”

***

The next day at work, Ryan had a meeting with his boss. He found out that his gym was opening a new location in Baltimore, and they were beginning to build their staff. He asked if Ryan would be interested in moving there and starting a new client base.

Ryan asked if he could have the night to think it over. He thought about what his mother had said the night before. He was beginning to think a change of scenery would be nice. Moving to a new city would be tough at first, but he thought it was a good idea. He didn’t want to leave his family, friends, and clients, but he figured that his family and friends would visit. Plus, he’d make new friends, and start a new client base.

When Ryan got home, he talked to Ike about the idea, and she was very supportive. She offered to come up to Baltimore with him to help him get settled.

With that, the plans were in place. Ryan accepted the offer, and traveled to Baltimore a few times to see the new gym and meet the staff. He found a small house to buy just outside the city. In the midst of all of the plans, he spoke with Sarah a few times, and each time the conversations were tense. In the end, Sarah signed away her parental rights, and Ryan knew that it was the last that he and Cooper would ever hear from her. 

Ryan feared the day when Cooper would start asking questions about his mother. He wasn’t sure what he would tell him. Ryan didn’t hate Sarah. He could never hate her. They had been best friends all through college, and now their friendship was over because of one night. Ryan would never regret that, though. It brought him his amazing son, and he couldn’t wait to watch him grow up. He promised himself that he would do everything he could to give Cooper a wonderful life. 

Before the big move, Ryan transferred his clients among his co-workers. The whole staff took him out for a going away dinner on his last day of work. He spent some time with family and friends. His high school buddies threw him a big party a few days before he was set to leave.

He cleared out his apartment and turned in the keys. He hired a moving company to bring his boxes and furniture to the new house around the same time that he’d be arriving in Baltimore. He slept at his mother’s house on his last night In Gainesville. He had brought a few boxes that he didn’t think he’d need right away in Baltimore, and stored them at Ike’s house. One of those boxes contained his swimsuits, caps, and goggles. He still didn’t want to think about swimming again. 

The next morning, he was ready to leave Gainesville. His mother and Devon were making the drive with him and Cooper, then flying home once Ryan was settled. 

They took their time driving up, and stopped to spend the night in North Carolina. The next day, they arrived at Ryan’s new house shortly before the moving company.

Ike took Cooper inside, while Devon and Ryan began carrying boxes into the house. Over the next few days, Devon and Ike painted Cooper’s room, Ryan set up his own room, and turned the third bedroom into a playroom for Cooper. He found a daycare center for Cooper. He went to the gym to help with some pre-opening events. The official opening was still a week away, but they were open for new client signups. Ryan was hoping to start building his client base early.

Once Ike was satisfied that Ryan and Cooper were properly settled, she and Ike flew home. Ryan had insisted on paying for their tickets. Ike had tried to protest, but Ryan said that he felt like it was the least he could do to thank them for all of their help.

On his first night alone in the new house, he fed Cooper and put him to bed. He sat on the couch and flipped through the channels on the television before settling on watching Happy Gilmore for about the hundredth time. He opened his laptop, and propped his legs up on the coffee table while he scrolled through match.com. He figured that now that he was in a new city, he might as well start looking for someone to spend some time with. He hadn’t been in a relationship since his junior year in college. Then that whole thing with Sarah happened at the end of senior year, but that wasn’t a relationship. He was ready. He figured there was no time like the present to start looking for something, or someone, to make him happy.


	6. Chapter 6

Cooper and Ryan had settled quite nicely into their new home in Baltimore. Over the next few years, Ike visited often, and Ryan and Cooper loved having her around. Ryan had enrolled Cooper in a playgroup, and he really seemed to enjoy it. 

Ryan went out on a few dates, but had yet to find someone that he really connected with. 

When Cooper started kindergarten, Ryan was there to see him off. Ryan had met Cooper’s teacher and some of the other parents at the kindergarten orientation over the summer. Cooper had already bonded with many of his classmates, as some of the kids lived in the neighborhood, and spent a lot of time at each other’s houses before school started. Cooper loved his teacher, and Ryan knew that he would be in good hands. He felt a twinge of emotion as he dropped Cooper off for his first day of school. He was so proud of Cooper, but wasn’t ready to see him grow up.

“He’s five!”, Ryan silently coached himself. “It’s not like he’s moving out and going to college yet.”

“Bye Dad!”, Cooper called out as Ryan was saying goodbye to the teacher. 

“Bye Ryan’s Dad!”, Cooper’s friend Luke echoed.

Ryan smiled. “Bye Boys!”, he replied.

Ryan left the school and went to work. One of his afternoon clients cancelled, so he took that time to get a workout in. By the time he left work to go pick up Cooper from school he was feeling on top of the world. 

He called his mom on the way to the school. Ike picked up on the first ring. “Hi honey!”, she said. “How are you? How is everything going?”

“It’s good, Ma”, Ryan said. “It’s really good. I had a good day at work today. Now I’m on my way to pick up Cooper at school.”

“How was it this morning?”, Ike asked.

“It was sad saying goodbye”, Ryan admitted.

“I went through it with you and your siblings”, Ike said fondly. “I remember the feeling well.”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, it was hard, but I’m so proud of him”, he said. “He had already gotten to know a lot of the other kids over the summer because of kindergarten orientation and playgroup and all that. His teacher is great. He’s going to be fine.”

“Speaking of being proud of your son”, Ike began.

Ryan felt himself blush. “Aww”, he said. “Thanks, Mama.”

Cooper loved kindergarten. He and Ryan went to Florida for Thanksgiving to visit the whole Lochte clan. Cooper got along well with his cousins, and Ryan enjoyed spending time with his mom and siblings.

“How’s fatherhood treating you?”, Kristin asked him after they finished dessert. The kids were out on the front porch playing, Ike and Megan were cleaning in the kitchen, and Ryan and Kristin had retreated to the living room to chat.

“It’s… exhausting”, Ryan admitted. He glanced out the window and saw Cooper playing and laughing away. “…but he’s awesome.”

Kristin smiled at her younger brother. “He’s a good kid”, she said. “We’re all so proud of you, you know. It couldn’t have been easy for you… you know, with everything that’s happened.”

Ryan shrugged. “Yeah”, he said. “but it’s worth it.”

Kristin smiled. “Good for you, Ry”, she said. “You’ve grown up so much. The summer after you graduated from college, you were drinking and partying all time, and now you have a kindergartner. How do these things happen?”

Ryan smirked at her. “Well, Kris”, he said. “Sometimes… when two people have… a special feeling…”

Kristin made a face at him and swatted him with a pillow. “Shut up, Ry!”, she exclaimed.

Ryan laughed. “I’m just kidding”, he said. “And you’re right. It’s crazy. It definitely wasn’t in the plan, but now that it’s happened… I really can’t imagine my life any other way.”

Kristin smiled again. “Good for you”, she said. “Now, how about your love life. Anything going on there?”

Ryan shook his head. “Nah”, he said. “I’ve dated a little bit, but nothing has really stuck. We’ll just have to see.”

“Well”, Kristin said. “What about that secret crush of yours? You are living in Baltimore now…”

Ryan laughed. “Yeah, but I’ve never seen him around.”

***

After spending some time with the family for Thanksgiving, Cooper and Ryan went back home to Baltimore. Ryan’s family came to see them for Christmas.

Ryan loved his job, and was eventually promoted to the manager of the gym. He was still able to work with his personal training clients, which made him really happy. He kept trying to date, but most of the guys that he went out with weren't ready to date someone with a kid.

When Cooper started second grade, a few of his friends were talking about taking swimming lessons.

“Cooper you have to come!”, Luke exclaimed at recess one day. “It’s super fun! That famous swimmer Michael Phelps is our teacher. We call him Mr. Mike and he’s really nice!”

“Cool!”, Cooper exclaimed. “I’ll ask my dad tonight!”

***

“This is good, dad”, Cooper said, as he took a bite of his macaroni and cheese. 

Ryan smiled at his seven year old son sitting across the table from him. “I’m glad you like it, bud”, he said.

When he finished his dinner, Cooper very diligently put his dishes away and started wiping down the kitchen table.

Ryan watched him and smiled. He stood up and wrapped on arm around him and ruffled his hair with his other hand. Cooper had inherited Ryan’s curly hair, and it made him laugh. He had inherited Sarah’s sparkling green eyes, and although it made him sad at first, Ryan loved seeing that little piece of Sarah in Cooper. “You’re so good at helping your old man!”, he said.

Cooper giggled. “Daaaaaad!”, he groaned.

“What?”, he asked. “A father can’t be proud of his son?”

Cooper giggled again. “Dad, can I ask you something?”, he asked.

Ryan smiled. “Of course, bud!”, he said. “What’s up?”

“Luke is taking swimming lessons, and he asked me if I wanted to come too”, Cooper said. “Can I?”

Ryan smiled. “You want to take swimming lessons?”, he asked.

Cooper nodded. “Uh-huh”, he said. “Grammy told me you used to swim. I wanna swim like you!”

Ryan felt himself choke up a little bit. “I would love to see you swim, Coop!”, he said. “If you want to do it, let’s get you signed up.”

“Yay!”, Cooper exclaimed. “Thanks, Dad!”

“Where is he taking his classes”, Ryan asked.

“Meadowbrook”, Cooper replied. “Michael Phelps is his teacher. Auntie Kristin says you really like him!”

Ryan felt his face grow hot. “Oh?”, he asked. “Those are _really_ good classes, bud”, he said.

Cooper nodded. “Luke said that Mr. Mike is really fun.”

Ryan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He was excited for the opportunity for his kid to learn how to swim, and he was even more excited about who would be teaching him. He made the phone call the very next day to enroll Cooper in classes. The instructor who answered the phone, Michael’s co-teacher, was none other than Allison Schmitt. Ryan couldn’t believe it. His son was going to learn how to swim from _two_ olympians? He tried to talk himself out of acting like a starstruck goofball when he dropped Cooper off at his first lesson. Ryan didn’t know it at the time, but this was just the beginning of something very good.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This Chapter is a bit different from past ones as Ryan does not appear. It does, however, give little hints about what might happen next. Enjoy!

Michael bustled around his office at Meadowbrook. He was bent over, looking at some things on his desk, which was covered in paperwork. There were stacks of goal sheets that his advanced swimmers had given him. There were lesson plans for the younger swimmers. The walls in his office were covered with photographs from all of his past Olympics. 

He was pleased with how his programs were going. The kids in his classes were progressing very well, and he was so proud of them. He was grateful for the support from his foundation, and happy to have his best friend Allison as a co-teacher.

“Hey, Mike!”, Allison’s cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts, as she lightly knocked on his open door. “Good day today, huh?”

Michael stood up straighter and smiled at her. He nodded. “Great!”, he said. “The little ones are so excited, and it’s nice to see.”

Allison smiled. “They’re pretty great”, she said. “How is the elite team doing?”

Michael sighed. “They’re good, but they’re frustrating”, he said. “I wonder if I was that much of a pain in the ass.”

Allison made a face. “Is that a question?”, she asked with a smile.

Michael pouted at her and picked up the stress ball sitting on his desk. “Thanks a lot!”, he said with a laugh as he tossed it at her.

Allison laughed and ducked as the stress ball bounced off the wall. “Oh, you're going to get it!”, she said with a laugh. “So, what are you up to tonight? Any hot dates?”

Michael blushed and shook his head. “Nah”, he said. “Nothing of that nature on the horizon. I’m going to my mom’s house for dinner. Whit took the kids on a trip for the weekend, and Doug and Hil went to a friend’s wedding, so it’s just me and my Mom for the night. I haven’t gone over there for a few days, so I promised her I’d have dinner with her tonight.”

“Aww, that’s nice”, Allison said with a smile. “Tell her I said hi, okay?”  
Michael smiled. “Or you could come with me”, he suggested. “Debs has been asking about you, and I know she’d love to see you.”

“That would be great!”, Allison said. “Thanks, Mike. It can be our celebration.”

“Oh yeah?”, Michael asked. “What are we celebrating?”

Allison smiled wider. “I just got off the phone with a parent. We just got one more kid enrolled in our seven to nine age group. We are officially sold out!”

“That’s great!”, Michael said. “What do you know about the kid?”  
“His name is Cooper. He’s 7 years old. He lives with his single father. His dad said that he’s a friend of Luke’s.”

“Oh great!”, Michael said. “Luke’s a great kid.”

“He is”, Allison agreed.

***

Michael and Allison drove over to Debbie’s house together. When they arrived, Debbie greeted both of them with a hug.

“It’s so nice to see you, Allison”, she said. “How are you, Sweetie?”

“I’m doing well, Debbie”, she said. “How are you?”

“Everything is great”, she said. “As I’m sure Michael has told you, everyone else is away this weekend, so I’m glad you two are here to have dinner with me.”

“My pleasure”, Allison replied. “I’m glad Mike invited me.”

Debbie put her arm around Allison and led her towards the kitchen. “Allison, come with me, honey”, she said. “Michael, would you be a dear, and set the table.”

“Yes, Mother”, Michael said, as he headed for the dining room. 

Allison and Debbie went into the kitchen. She handed Allison a glass of water. “So, how is he, honey?”, She asked. “Has he said anything to you/“

Allison shrugged. “He seems okay, Debbie”, Allison said. “I’m sure there’s nothing that he hasn’t already told you. He just seems lonely.”

Debbie nodded. “I think he is too”, she said. “and he hasn’t met anyone?”

Allison shook her head. “No”, she said. “I wish I could find a nice guy for him, but you and I both know how much he hates set-ups.”

Debbie nodded and laughed. “That’s for sure!”, she agreed, as she handed Allison a platter of chicken and vegetables. “Can you carry this in for me, hon?”

Allison smiled and took the platter from Debbie. “Of course”, she said.

The three of them sat down in the dining room to enjoy a nice meal together, and for dessert, they had the cookies that Michael had picked up at a local bakery on his way to work.

As Michael and Allison got ready to leave, Debbie gave Allison a hug. “Thank you for joining us tonight, Allie”, Debbie said. “It’s always so nice to have you here.”

Allison smiled. “Thank you, Debbie”, she said. “Dinner was wonderful.”

Debbie turned to Michael and she gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. “I love you, my boy”, she said. “You come over and see me again soon, you hear me? I miss you when I don’t see you all the time.”

Michael smiled and sighed as he wrapped his arms around his mother. “I know, Mom”, he said. “I’m sorry it’s been a couple days. Work has been crazy. Can I take you out for dinner this weekend?”

“That would be great, baby”, she said. “Thank you.”

Allison and Michael walked outside to Michael’s car to drive back to Meadowbrook, where Allison’s car was parked.

Michael glanced over at her out of the corner of his eyes as he drove down the street. “Hey Al”, he began.

“What’s up?”, Allison asked. “Everything okay?”

Michael nodded. “Oh yeah”, he said. “Everything’s great. I just…”

Allison smiled. “What?”, she asked.

Michael smiled back at her. “I just want to say thanks”, he said quietly.”

“What for?”, Allison asked.

Michael smiled, a bit sadly. “Just…everything”, he said. “Thanks for being my friend, for supporting me through everything, for being an amazing co-teacher, and for putting up with me these past few years.”  
“You don’t have to thank me, Mike”, Allison said. “I’ll do anything for you. You know that.”

Michael smiled back at her, as he turned on his blinker and turned onto the next street. “Yeah, I know”, he said. “I just couldn’t have done any of this without you.”

Allison smiled and shrugged. “Ain’t no thing but a chicken wing!”, she replied.

Michael laughed and shook his head. “You always make me smile, Al”, he said. “Thanks for that.”

Allison grinned back at him as Michael drove into the parking lot and pulled up next to Allison’s car. “So there’s one more thing I want to do for you”, she said. 

“Oh yeah?”, Michael asked. 

Allison nodded and gently punched his shoulder. “We need to find you a man”, she said.

Michael cringed. “I hate set-ups”, he said. “You know that.”

Allison nodded. “I know”, she said. “Just remember. We have our parent night coming up. Maybe one of our students has a hot, single, gay dad.”

Michael blushed and laughed. “Yeah”, he said. “Maybe.”


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I love this chapter so much, and I hope you do too.

The next day, Ryan left work early to pick up Cooper and Luke at school and drive them to swimming lessons.

Cooper was so excited about his first day of swimming lessons, he could barely sit still in the car on the drive over to the pool. “Excited, bud?”, Ryan asked him.

“Uh-huh!”, Cooper said, nodding furiously. “I can’t wait!”

“It’s gonna be so much fun!”, Luke agreed. “Mr. Mike and Miss Allie are so nice. Swimming is fun! Do you swim, Mr. Lochte?”

Ryan’s face fell. He felt his heart twist. He missed swimming more than he liked to admit. “I used to”, he said quietly. “A long time ago.”

“Why don’t you swim anymore?”, Luke asked very seriously. “It’s so much fun!”

Cooper frowned. “My grammy says that swimming makes Dad sad now”, Cooper said mysteriously.

“WHY?”, Luke said, as if that was the most awful thing he had ever heard. “Swimming makes me happy! It’s really fun. I’m going to be like Mr. Mike someday!”

Ryan smiled, as he pulled into a parking space at Meadowbrook. “A long time ago, swimming made me really happy too”, Ryan said wistfully. “A long time ago.”

That answer seemed to satisfy Luke. “Okay”, he said, as he opened the door to the car and jumped out. “Let’s go, Coop!”

“Wait for me!”, Ryan called, as he sprinted after them. 

When they got inside, Luke ran for the locker room, and Ryan took Cooper to the office to talk to Michael and Allison. 

“Hi there!”, Allison greeted Ryan and Cooper with a big smile. “You must be Cooper and Mr. Lochte! I’m Allison.”

“Ryan, and this is Cooper!”, Ryan said. “It’s nice to meet you, Allison!”

“It’s nice to meet you too”, Allison said warmly. “This is Mike. We teach the class together.”

Ryan’s whole face lit up. “I know!”, he said, reaching out to shake Michael’s hand. “I’m a big fan!”

Michael smiled. “Thank you!”, he said. “It’s very nice to meet you.”

 

***

Cooper changed into his bathing suit and went out to the pool deck. Much like Michael was as a child, Cooper was afraid to put his face in the water at first. Allison took him aside and showed him how to swim on his back, and soon enough, he was ready to turn over. After that, they had trouble getting him out of the water when it was time to get ready to go home.

Over the next few weeks, Cooper got more and more confident in the water, and was having so much fun. Allison and Michael reminded their students to invite their parents to Parent Night the following week, so that the parents could join their kids in the water, and see how well they were progressing.

At dinner that night, Cooper asked Ryan if he could come. He was so excited about it, and really wanted to share that with Ryan.  
“I don’t know, bud”, Ryan had said. “I promise I’ll come watch you, but I don’t think I’ll go in the water. All of my suits are in Florida at Grammy’s”

“Why”, Cooper asked, in an attempt to mimic Ryan’s “parent voice”. “Did you forget them?”

Ryan hesitated. He didn’t want to tell his young son that the real reason why he “forgot” all of his old swimming stuff was because he was worried that if he looked at it, it would make him sad about what he had given up. Feeling sad about that made him feel guilty, because raising Cooper had been the best experience of his life. “Well”, he began. “When we moved, I couldn’t take everything with us, because we didn’t have enough room. I had to leave some things behind.”

Cooper seemed to understand that explanation, and he nodded. “Okay”, he agreed. 

 

***

 

Allison smiled and shook Ryan’s hand. “Cooper is a great kid”, she said. “Are you going to join us today?”

Ryan looked around at the other dads climbing into the pool with their kids. He shook his head. “No”, he said. “I promised Coop I’d come watch, but I don’t have a suit. I left them all behind when we moved up here, and haven’t bought any new stuff yet.”

“Oh, that’s no problem!”, Allison said, cheerfully. “We have plenty of extras if you want to borrow one!”

Ryan hesitated. He thought about how happy it would make Cooper if he joined them. “Well…”, he began, as Allison and Cooper both watched him expectantly. “Okay. That would be great. Thanks.”

Cooper hurried off to join his friends, and Allison led Ryan to the office. “Mike”, she said. “Cooper’s dad is going to join us, but he needs to borrow a suit. That okay?”

Michael looked up and met Ryan’s eyes. “Sure!”, he said, as he looked through a drawer in the office. He handed Ryan an old Speedo. “I have plenty of extras. You can use this one.”

Ryan and Michael couldn’t take their eyes off of each other. “Great!”, Ryan said. “Thank you so much.”

“Not a problem!”, Michael said cheerfully, still unable to stop looking at Ryan. Next to him, Allison was smiling widely.

Ryan left the office to go change. Allison looked at Michael, still grinning. “He’s nice”, Allison commented.

“Yeah”, Michael said, distractedly.

“Cute, too!”, Allison said.

Michael rolled his eyes. “Don’t get any ideas!”, he said with a laugh.

Allison smiled and crossed her arms. “I’m just saying…”, she said.

Michael laughed. “Come on, Al”, he said. “We don’t even know if he’s…”

“Did you see him looking at you?”, Allison exclaimed. “He couldn’t take his eyes off of you!”

Michael laughed and rolled his eyes again. “Come on, Allison”, he said. “Let’s get ready for class.”

Allison made a face at him. “Michael Fred”, she said. “If you keep giving me that look, your face is going to freeze like that!”

Michael laughed. “You stop”, he said.

Allison laughed too, then her expression turned serious. “I just want you to be happy”, she said. “You know that, right?”

Michael smiled. “I know”, he said. “and thanks.”

 

***

 

Ryan looked up to see Michael exiting the locker room, wearing his speedo. He was in awe of what he saw. Sure, he had seen Michael wearing next to nothing in all of the televised swim meets he had watched over the years, and knew that he was a good looking guy. Seeing him in person was a different story. Here was this gorgeous, tall guy standing before him. He had strong, broad shoulders and a lean, muscular torso, that all tapered down to a thin waist. Ryan was in awe, and he hoped that his gasp wasn’t too audible. He tried to stop staring, but he couldn’t help himself.

Ryan noticed that Michael was looking at him too, and suddenly he felt very, exposed. It didn’t help that Michael’s speedo was a bit too small for him, and probably showed a lot more than he’d normally want to.

Next to him, Cooper tugged at his hand. “Are you staring at Mr. Mike, Dad?”, he asked, making a face.

Ryan felt his face getting hot. “No!”, he protested, trying not to laugh.  
***

The parents and kids all had fun together, and pretty soon, it was time to go home. Ryan went to the locker room to change, then went to find Michael to return the borrowed Speedo. He found Michael sitting in his office, wearing an old t-shirt and a pair of sweat pants.

“Here you go”, he said, handing Michael the Speedo. “Thanks for letting me borrow it.”

“You can keep it”, Michael said cheerfully. “I understand that you don’t have any of your own, and you’ll need it for next time.”

Ryan smiled. “Thanks”, he said. “That’s really nice of you.”

“And I hope there will be a “next time””, Michael continued nervously, his cheeks turning pink. “It’s been really nice to meet you, and I hope you come back again, either for our next parent night… or any other time.”

Ryan smiled. He felt both nervous and happy. “I’d like that very much”, he said, taking a seat in Michael’s office.

“Do you swim often?”, Michael asked him.

Ryan smiled sadly and looked at his feet. “I did when I was in college. NCAA Champ in the 200 IM”, he said with a pump of his fist. “but not anymore. Long story.”

Michael smiled at him. “Did you stop when Cooper was born?”

Ryan looked surprised. “How did you…?”, he started to ask.

Michael smiled warmly. “You said that you swam in college… and you look about my age…and Cooper is 7… So I did the math. What happened?”

Ryan shook his head sadly. “It’s a really long story”, he said. “A really long story.”

Michael looked up to meet Ryan’s eyes. “I’d like to hear it sometime”, he said quietly. “Maybe over dinner… Friday night?”

Ryan couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “I… Yeah”, he said. “Dinner would be great. I’ll see if Luke’s parents will let Cooper stay with them for the night or something.”

Michael’s face lit up. “Fantastic”, he said. “I’ll pick you up. You’re in Towson, right?”  
Ryan nodded. “That’s right”, he said. “So…I’ll see you on Friday?”

Michael smiled back. “Yeah. Seven o’ clock work for you?”

“Perfect”, Ryan said, as he smiled and waved. He walked out of the office to meet Cooper and Luke to drive them home, and couldn’t wipe the smile off of his face. It was happening. It was really happening.

He passed Allison on his way down the hall. “Nice to see you, Ryan!”, she said with a wave, as she walked into Michael’s office. Michael was grinning from ear to ear, and working at his desk.

“What’s up?”, she asked cheerfully.

Michael grinned. “I have a date on Friday!”, he announced.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter picks up right where the last one left off. Michael is talking about his upcoming date with Ryan.

“Oh really?”, Allison asked, smirking at him. “How did that happen?”

Michael’s face turned bright red. “I don’t know”, he said. “Cooper’s dad was in here, and I kind of felt like there was something there. We were talking, and I just kind of went for it.”

“That’s a good thing, Mike”, Allison said. “I mean… you haven’t really been with anyone since…”

Michael shook his head. “Allie, I don’t want to talk about that”, he said quietly.

Allison crossed the room and put her hand on on Michael’s shoulder. “You’ll have to talk about it eventually, hon”, she said.

“Yeah”, Michael said. “but not now. It’s too much. It scares guys off, and… I can’t. I want to get to know Ryan and see where this goes before I do or say anything that might make him change his mind.”

Allison nodded. “Are you okay, Mike?”, she asked gently.

Michael swallowed. “I’m fine, Al”, he said. “Just drop it, please?”

“Mike…”, Allison said slowly. “Just… promise me you’ll be careful, okay?”

Michael nodded. He stood up to give Allison a hug. At six feet tall, she was almost eye level to him. He held her in his arms for a moment. “I will, Allie”, he said. “Thank you.”  
“You’re my best friend, Mike”, Allison said. “You’re like a brother to me. I want you to be happy again.”

“Me too”, Michael said. “You have no idea.”

“I think this will be good for you”, Allison said. “Ryan seems really nice, and that kid of his… what a hoot!”

Michael smiled. “Cooper is a great kid. Ryan gave up swimming when he was born. It seems like he was really good. I wonder why he gave it up. I want to know what happened there.”

Allison smiled and shrugged. “That’s what first dates are for”, she said.

 

***

Cooper and Ryan were having dinner in the kitchen. “Hey, Cooper”, Ryan said. “I need to talk to you about something.”

“What’s up, Dad?”, Cooper asked.

“How do you feel about spending the night at Luke’s house on Friday?”, Ryan asked. “HIs parents are going to take you two out for pizza, then you can play with him, sleep over, and I’ll pick you up on Saturday morning.”

“Cool”, Cooper exclaimed. “Luke has cool toys! Are you going to come play with us too?”

Ryan shook his head. “No”, he said. “Actually, I’m going to have dinner with Mr. Mike.”

Cooper smiled. “Yay!”, he exclaimed. “Do you like Mr. Mike, Dad?”

Ryan felt his face grow hot. His cheeks hurt from smiling. “Mr. Mike is a very nice man, Coop”, Ryan said. “I want to get to know him, and make a new friend.”

Cooper nodded and took a bite of his brownie. “Cool”, he said. “I like Mr. Mike. He’s fun. Maybe you guys can swim together.”

 

***

On Friday evening, Michael was getting ready for his date with Ryan. He got out of the shower and wrapped himself in a towel. He stood in his room and tried to decide what to wear. He got a text from Allison.

 

**Allison [5:52 PM]:** Hey! Have fun tonight buddy!

**Michael [5:53 PM]:** Thanks! Getting ready.

**Allison [5:55 PM]:** Wear something nice! No sweatpants, k?

**Michael [5:57 PM]:** LOL i’m not going to wear sweatpants on a date.

**Allison [6:00 PM]:** HAHAHAHA just making sure. Wear ur dark jeans with the grey sweater.

**Michael [6:01 PM]:** Good idea. thanks.

**Allison [6:03 PM]:** no prob. have fun!

**Michael [6:05 PM]:** Thanks. Nervous.

**Allison [6:08 PM]:** Don’t be. you’re awesome. be yourself. love you.

**Michael [6:11 PM]:** Thanks. love you too.

**Allison [6:15 PM]:** Call me tomorrow. let me know how it goes!

**Michael [6:18 PM]:** Will do. Gotta go. Picking up Ryan in a bit.

**Allison [6:20 PM]:** Woohoo! Have a good time gorgeous. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!

 

Michael laughed softly to himself as he finished getting dressed, and put his phone in his pocket. He went downstairs and out to his car. He checked Ryan’s address again, typed it into his navigation system, and began the drive over to Ryan’s house.

He pulled up in front of the house, and went up to the door and rang the bell. Ryan answered the door, wearing a pair of jeans and a dark blue button down.

“Hey”, Ryan said.

“Hey”, Michael said.

Michael led Ryan to his car, and they both got in. “So”, Michael began. “I was thinking of taking you to Seven West, unless you had something else in mind.”

“Oh, I love that place”, Ryan said. “That works for me.”

“Great”, Michael said as he drove down the street. “So, how are you liking Baltimore? You’ve been here for a while now, huh?”

Ryan smiled. “I love it”, he said. “We’ve been up here several years now, and it’s a huge difference from Florida, but like, a good different. I just needed a change of scenery, so here we are.”

“Nice”, Michael said with a nod. “So, what made you leave Florida?”

Ryan took a deep breath. “Well, he began. After Cooper was born and his mom left, my mom thought I needed a change. Then my boss at the gym where I worked told me about a new opportunity up here, so I jumped on it. My mom and brother drove up here with us, then flew home once Cooper and I were settled.”

“So, his mom just left, just like that?”, Michael asked. “Man, that’s got to be rough.”

Ryan nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “Like, it sucked. It was the worst thing ever.”

“Can I ask why she left?”, Michael asked gently. His calm demeanor made Ryan feel at ease. He seemed so genuinely interested, and it made Ryan comfortable enough to open up.

Ryan hesitated. “It’s hard to explain”, he said. “I’ll tell you if you want, but…”

“You don’t have to tell me”, Michael said. “I just would like to get to know you, and this seems like it’s a big part of who you are.”

Ryan smiled. No one had ever tried so hard to get to know him before. He didn’t know Michael well, but already felt comfortable with him. “Okay, so… a few nights before college graduation I was at this party, and I best friend Sarah and I…. well, we got really drunk, and hooked up…”

“So, you’re not gay?”, Michael asked. “I thought…”

“No. No, I am”, Ryan said. “Like I said, we were drunk, and stuff happened. She had just confessed that she had feelings for me, and one thing led to another, and she ended up getting pregnant. She had big plans for her future and didn’t want a baby, but she knew that I really wanted to be a dad. I told her everything was up to her, but that if she had the baby, I’d want to help her raise the kid.”

Michael nodded. “It’s all starting to come together”, he commented.

Ryan smiled. “Yeah”, he said. “So, she decided to have the baby. She moved in with me, and things were going really well at first. Then all of a sudden, she left in the middle of the night one night. She moved to Los Angeles because she wanted to be an actress. We talked a little bit after that, but then she ended up signing over her parental rights to me, and Cooper and I never saw her again.”

“That sucks, man”, Michael said. “I’m sorry.”

Ryan smiled. “It’s okay”, he said. “Thanks for listening. It was good to tell someone. I don’t really talk about it much.”

“Of course”, Michael said. “So, when did you stop swimming?”

Ryan sighed. “As soon as I found out she was having the baby”, he said. “I was supposed to go to Olympic Trials that summer, but then when she said she was going to go through with the pregnancy, even though the baby wouldn’t come until after the Olympics, I just decided to give up swimming then. My reasoning at the time was that I’d give it up to raise Cooper anyway, so I thought I’d get a jump start. Looking back, I wish I had waited to stop swimming, but I have Cooper now, and he’s the best thing in my life.”

“Do you ever think you might want to swim again?”, Michael asked. “I mean, you were going to go to Trials. You must be pretty good.”

Ryan laughed. “I’m okay”, he said. “Okay, better than okay. I love swimming fly. I was an NCAA Champion in the 200 IM, and uh, funny story. When I was younger, I had this silly little goal of one day swimming against YOU in the 200 IM.”

“Little old me?”, Michael asked with a laugh. “Really?”

Ryan blushed. “Yeah”, he said. “It’s silly, I know.”

Michael pulled up in front of the restaurant, and they enjoyed a meal together at The Seven West Bistro in Towson. They continued their conversation and got more and more comfortable with each other as the night went on.

They talked about their families, childhoods, and everything they could think of. They both felt so comfortable, and it was something that they both needed.

After dinner, Michael drove Ryan back to his house. “Do you want to come inside?”, Ryan asked hopefully. He had really enjoyed the evening, and definitely felt like there was something between him and Michael.

Michael smiled. He didn’t want the night to end, but knew what “going inside” usually entailed, and wasn’t sure that he was ready this early in the relationship. “Not this time”, he said. “But next time, definitely.”

Ryan’s eyes lit up. “So there will be a next time?”, he asked. “You want to do this again?”

Michael nodded. “I do”, he said. “Do you?”

Ryan smiled as he looked into Michael’s warm eyes. “Yeah”, he said. “I’d like that.”

“Great”, Michael said. “See you soon.”

“Definitely”, Ryan agreed. “Good Night, Mike.”

“Good Night, Ryan”, Michael said.

Ryan smiled as he closed the door to Michael’s car and walked up the front path and into his house. Michael smiled as he drove away from Ryan’s house and back to his own place.

Ryan wanted to talk to his mother. He hadn’t called her yet that day, but figured she’d be asleep at this time of night. He didn’t want to wake her up, but he really wanted to tell someone about his night. He sent her a text, and figured that he’d catch up with her the next day.

 

**Ryan [11:20 PM]:** I went on a date tonight Mama. He’s pretty awesome. It’s only the first date and I already think I might have gotten it right this time. 

**Ryan [11:22 PM]:** Love you. I’ll call soon.

 

Michael pulled up to his own house and went inside. He couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. He sent a text to Allison.

 

**Michael [11:45 PM]:** I think I like him!


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning, Michael woke up and got ready for work. When he arrived, he went to his office, and Allison was already there, and waiting for him outside the door.

“Hey”, he said cheerfully. “What’s up?”

She handed him a bag and a cup of coffee. “I brought you breakfast”, she said. “Let’s go talk. I want all the details.”

Michael smiled. He was so grateful for Allison’s friendship. He had a lot of fun the night before, and wanted to tell someone about it. “Okay”, he said. “Let me just drop my stuff in my office, then we’ll go have a seat in the break room and talk.”

“Hurry up!”, Allison said with a smile. “I’ve been thinking about this all night. I want to know everything! Then I got your text and… you can’t leave me on a cliffhanger like that, buddy!”

Five minutes later, Allison and Michael were sitting in the break room, eating breakfast sandwiches and drinking coffee.

“Thanks for bringing me breakfast, Al”, Michael said between bites.

“You’re welcome”, Allison said. “So start talking. How was last night?”

Michael blushed. “It was nice”, he said, smiling widely as he stared at his breakfast. “It was really nice. We had dinner at Seven West in Towson. We talked for hours. I learned a little bit about his life before he moved up here. It was just… really, really great.”

Allison smiled and gently touched Michael’s arm. “That’s great, Mike”, she said. “Did anything else happen?”

Michael looked down and shook his head. “Not this time”, he said. “I told him… maybe next time.”

“Next time?”, Allison asked, surprised. “You’re going to go out with him again?”

Michael nodded. His cheeks were pink, but he was grinning from ear to ear. “Yeah”, he said. “He’s coming over tonight.”

“Oh yeah?”, Allison asked. “What are you two going to do?”

Michael smiled. “I’m going to cook dinner. Maybe we’ll watch a movie. Various… other activities.”

Allison smiled. “Mike, that’s so great”, she said. “Just be careful. Don’t go too fast.”

Michael grinned. “Yeah, I know”, he said. “I just really want to see where this goes.”

Allison nodded. “That’s understandable”, she said. “Did you tell him about…?”

Michael shook his head. “Not yet”, he said. “It hasn’t come up yet.”

 

***  
Later that afternoon, Ryan was in his office at the gym. His phone rang. The caller ID told him that it was his mother calling.

“Hi Mama!”, he said as he answered the phone.

“Hello sweetie”, Ike said. “I got your text. Now I need details! You can’t leave your old mama hanging like that!”

Ryan laughed. He felt his face grow hot. “He’s great, Mama”, he said. “He’s Cooper’s swimming teacher. He’s very nice and he’s good with kids. Cooper really looks up to him. He’s good looking… very good looking. I’m having dinner with him again tonight.”

“That’s wonderful, honey”, Ike said. “What’s his name?”

“Michael”, Ryan replied. “Um… he’s Michael Phelps.”

“Ryan Steven!”, Ike exclaimed. “How did you manage that?”

Ryan smiled. “Like I said, he’s Coop’s swimming teacher. We met at a parent night, he asked me out… and yeah. That’s the story.”

“That’s wonderful”, Ike said. “and he’s a good man?”

“He’s a very good man, Mom”, Ryan said. “I really want to see where this goes.”

 

***

Later that night, Ryan dropped Cooper off at a friend’s house for the night. “I’m sorry to keep dropping you at friend’s houses, buddy”, he said. “I promise you and i will do something fun together soon.”

Cooper was grinning from ear to ear. “It’s okay, Dad”, Cooper said. “You need to get to know Mr. Mike.”

Ryan smiled. “Okay”, he said. “Thanks for understanding, bud.”

Ryan drove over to Michael’s house. When Michael let him in, he was overtaken by the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. Ryan followed Michael into the kitchen and saw that he had prepared a homemade pizza, a tossed salad, and for dessert, a blueberry pie.

“Everything smells great!”, Ryan commented.

“Thanks!”, Michael said. “I don’t cook much, so my sister helped me.”

Michael’s sister Hilary wiped her hands on a towel, and extended her hand to shake Ryan’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Ryan”, she said. “I’m Hilary.”

“It’s nice to meet you too”, Ryan said. “Do you live with Mike?”

Hilary laughed and shook her head. “No”, she said. “I just come over once and a while to keep him company, and help him around the house. I’m on my way out now. Have fun you two.”

Michael leaned over to hug his sister. “Thanks for your help, sis”, Michael said.

“Any time, Mike”, she said. “Call me soon, okay?”

“I will”, Michael said. “See you soon. I love you.”

“Love you too!”, she called as she exited the apartment. “Nice meeting you, Ryan.”

Michael and Ryan sat down to eat dinner. “This is really good!”, Ryan said,

“Thanks”, Michael said. “Hil did most of it.”

“She seems nice”, Ryan said.

Michael smiled. “Yeah, she’s pretty great”, he said. “She and my other sister, and our mom are my whole world.”

“And Allison”, Ryan said.

Michael smiled. “Yeah”, he said. “and Allison. She’s always been like part of the family. I’m lucky to have her as my co-teacher.”

“You guys seem so close”, Ryan said. “It’s nice. She really cares about you, you know. Just from talking to her, I can tell what a great friendship you two have.”

“Yeah”, Michael said with a smile. “She’s great. She’s always been really supportive of me.”

After dinner, Michael lit a fire in the fireplace, and they laid on a blanket on the floor. Michael was lying on his back, and Ryan was on his side, propped up by his elbow. He ran his finger along Michael’s jawline.

“Thanks for dinner”, Ryan said softly. “It was great.”

“I’m glad you liked it”, Michael said. “I um…”

“What’s up?”, Ryan asked.   
“There’s something I have to tell you”, Michael said. “I don’t do this much”

“Make pizza?”, Ryan asked.

Michael sighed. “Date”, he said. “I don’t date much. Or at all, really.”

“That’s okay”, Ryan said casually. “I haven’t had a relationship since my junior year of college. So, like… a long time. Since then there have been a couple of random guys that I went out with once or twice before things fizzled out, and some hookups and stuff but…”

Michael hesitated. “No, like… I don't date at all”, he said. “There was one guy a long time ago, but…”

Ryan leaned down and gently kissed Michael. “So what happened?”, Ryan asked quietly. He could tell that Michael was hiding something, and he was so desperate to get to learn more about him.

There was a long pause. “He died”, Michael said quietly. “and it’s all my fault.”


	11. Chapter 11

Ryan noticed that Michael seemed to have a hard time catching his breath. Something had obviously upset him. Ryan couldn’t be sure, but he thought he saw tears in Michael’s eyes.

“What do you mean?”, Ryan asked gently. He moved in closer to Michael and snuggled against his side. “What happened?”

Michael sighed. “It’s nothing”, he said. “It’s a long story and I don’t want to bore you with the details.”

“I have time”, Ryan said gently. “and I don’t mind long stories.”

Michael hesitated. “People usually react negatively when they hear this story”, Michael said. “I don’t want to freak you out.”

Ryan shook his head. “Mike, you can talk to me”, he said. “I’m not going to judge you or anything. I really want to get to know you. I want to know about your past, the good and the bad. I want to know what makes you… you.”

Michael finally smiled. “Thank you, Ryan”, he said. “That’s really nice of you, but like… this is some bad shit, and it scares people away. We don’t know each other that well yet, but I like you and I don’t want you to run away so soon.”

Ryan put his arm around Michael’s waist and pulled him close. Ryan gently ran his fingertips along the small strip of soft skin between the hem of Michael’s shirt and the waistband of his jeans. “I’m not going anywhere”, he said quietly. What’s going on?”

“I dated this guy a few years ago”, Michael said. “Things were going really well. I loved him.” 

Ryan nodded, and ran his thumb from Michael’s ear down to his neck. “What happened, Mike?”, he asked softly.

Michael hesitated again. He seemed like he was trying to gather his thoughts. “I was driving and It was really dark… raining hard… I couldn’t see… and like…”, Michael mumbled.

“What?”, Ryan asked, as he took Michael’s hand. “Was there an accident?”

Michael swallowed. He closed his eyes and nodded. He squeezed Ryan’s hand. “We were coming home from a party at our friend’s house. He was a little drunk, but I didn’t drink, so I was going to drive us home. The weather was really bad… I didn’t see the other car. The other driver hit the passenger side of the car…”

“Oh, Michael”, Ryan said softly. 

“He died pretty much right away”, Michael said. “I was a little banged up, but mostly okay, and like… that’s not fair.”

Ryan gently kissed Michael’s neck. “You blame yourself because you survived?”, Ryan asked softly.

Michael nodded, crying openly now. “Everyone told me not to blame myself”, he said between sobs. “My mom, my sisters, Allie, even his family didn’t blame me, but like… I was fine. I get to keep living my life, and his is just…over.”

Ryan sat up, and Michael moved so that his head was in Ryan’s lap. Ryan gently ran his fingers through Michael’s hair. “They’re right, Mike”, Ryan said gently. “It’s not your fault. You can’t beat yourself up for being okay.”

Michael scrubbed his hands along his face. “After it happened, I pretty much stayed in bed for a month. I even stopped training for a bit until my coach intervened and literally dragged me out of bed”, he said. “I was so scared to drive for a while, so my mom had to drive me around a lot. It was hard for me to even get in a car for a long time after it. It’s a lot better now, but still scary sometimes. Sometimes when it rains, it brings back the memories and it’s… really hard.”

“I’m glad you told me”, Ryan said softly. “It makes me feel like I know you a little better now.”

“Like, it just made dating really hard”, Michael said. “Who wants to be with the crazy guy who’s afraid of cars? I never wanted to tell the story, so the few guys I went out with after that just walked away from me, and I stopped trying to date.”

Ryan leaned down and kissed Michael’s forehead. “You’re not crazy”, he said gently. “You went through something really terrible. It scared you. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

Michael nodded and used his t-shirt to wipe the tears from his face. When he lifted his shirt, he exposed his stomach to Ryan, and the sight of it made Ryan’s heart flutter. “Thanks”, he said. “I don’t talk about it much.”

Ryan was trying to look Michael in the eye and not make it obvious that he was staring at Michael’s body. It didn’t work.

Michael blushed. “Are you staring at me?” he asked, as he sheepishly pulled his shirt back down and shielded his waist with both arms.

It was Ryan’s turn to blush. “No!”, he exclaimed.

“You were!”, Michael said, laughing as he blushed even deeper. “You want me!”

“Thank you for opening up to me”, Ryan said, changing the subject.

Michael smiled. “It’s only right, after you told me about the stuff with Cooper’s mom”, he said. “It’s all part of the process of getting to know each other.”

“I think so too”, Ryan said with a smile. “I really like you, Mike, and I want to see where this goes.”

Michael sat up and smiled. He rested his head on Ryan’s shoulder. Ryan protectively wrapped his arm around Michael. “I like you too, Ry”, he said softly.

They stayed in that position for a while longer and didn’t pay much attention to the movie on the TV. After a while, Ryan squeezed Michael’s shoulder and whispered, “I need to go home.”

“Noooo”, Michael moaned sleepily as he placed a hand on Ryan’s knee. “Stay.”

Ryan laughed softly. “I have to pick up Cooper”, he said. “I can’t keep dumping him off with Luke’s parents. They’ve probably had enough of him, especially since they’re taking a bunch of the kids on a camping trip this weekend.”

Michael let out a low and rumbling laugh. “Okay”, he said. “but no kid this weekend means that you and I get to have some fun, right?”

“Hell Jeah”, Ryan said grinning. “We’ll make it happen.”

“Good”, Michael said. “So I’ll see you tomorrow when you pick up Coop?”

“Yeah”, Ryan said. “I’ll see you then.”

 

***

Ryan picked up Cooper at Luke’s house, and they went home. Ryan prepared a bowl of ice cream for both of them and sat down at the kitchen table. Cooper kicked his legs back and forth as he dug into his bowl of ice cream.

“Dad, are you going to marry Mr. Mike?”, he asked.

Ryan laughed. “I don’t know, buddy”, he said. “I don’t know him very well yet. You’re supposed to get to know someone before you get married. It’s a rule.”

Cooper considered this. “But, if you do marry Mr. Mike, then I’ll have two dads, right?”, he asked.

Ryan didn’t know what to say. He thought this might be when Cooper started asking about Sarah. He wasn’t sure he was ready to give Cooper those answers, or that Cooper was even ready to hear them. “I suppose that’s right, Coop”, he said. “What do you think of that?”

Cooper smiled, his teeth covered in hot fudge from his ice cream sundae. “My friend Katie in my class at school has two moms”, he said. “I think having two dads would be fun. You should marry Mr. Mike. He likes to play video games.”

After Cooper went to bed, Ryan thought more about their conversation, and his earlier conversation with Michael. They were only just getting to know each other, and he wasn’t anywhere near ready for marriage, but he really liked spending time with Michael, and was beginning to fall for Michael. He was falling hard.


	12. Chapter 12

The next day, Michael got to work early to go for a swim. He loved those quiet moments at the pool, when it was just him and the water. He could be alone with his thoughts. When he finished his laps, he took a shower, then got dressed and went into the break room to make himself a cup of coffee.

Allison had just arrived, and was putting her lunch in the refrigerator. “Good morning!”, she said cheerfully. Michael could never understand how she was always so cheerful before she had her coffee. Even though he was used to being up early after all those years of morning practices, he still needed a few cups of coffee before he could function properly and carry on a conversation.

“Hey, Al”, he said, as he gave her a hug. “Good Morning.”

“Good Morning”, Allison said again. “So, how was your night last night?”

Michael’s face turned a deep shade of scarlet. He was smiling. “It was really good”, he said. “Actually, it was awesome.”

“Oh yeah?”, Allison asked with a wide smile, as she poked him in the ribs. “Do tell!”

Michael grinned back at her. He took a seat at the table, and Allison joined him. “It was just really great. I cooked dinner.” When he saw the shocked look on Allison’s face he sheepishly added, “Well, Hilary cooked. Ryan and I ate, we watched TV. We talked. It was nice.”, he said.

“And?”, Allison prodded. “Come on, Mike. I’ve never seen you this happy. Something else must have happened.”

“We had a long talk”, Michael said. “I told him everything.”

“Good”, Allison said with a nod. “and how did he react?”

“He was so nice about it”, Michael said. “He was really understanding, and it was the first time in a long time that I didn’t feel like an idiot talking about it.”

“I told you he’d be supportive!”, Allison replied. “You really like this guy, huh?”

Michael nodded. “I think I’m kind of falling”, he said, blushing deeply.

“Kind of?”, Allison teased. “Michael Fred, I have never seen you like this. You seem so at peace. You’re not as tense as you usually are. You like this guy! You looooooove him.”

Michael laughed and shook his head. “Like, he’s great”, he said. “When I’m with him, I feel things… things I haven’t felt in a long time. It’s too soon to say if I love him. I like him a lot though. Things are good right now.”

“Well, I think that’s great”, Allison said. “You deserve it.”

Michael smiled. “Thanks, Als”, he said. “You’re the best. So, I was thinking…”

“Yes?”, Allison asked.

“He’s been so good to me”, Michael said. “He got me to talk about some hard stuff last night. Now I want to do something for him.”

“What did you have in mind?”, Allison asked.

“He told me that he used to have a dream of racing me, particularly in the 200 IM”, Michael said. “I want to race him.”

Allison laughed. “Okay”, she said. “This afternoon, when he comes to pick up Cooper. Let’s do it then.”

“I’m going to kick his ass!”, Michael said happily. “All of those workouts I’ve been doing to stay in shape post-retirement… it’s all led up to this moment!”

Allison laughed and rolled her eyes. “You are such a dork, Mike”, she said.

“Thank you!”, Michael replied, taking his cup of coffee and standing up. “I’ll be in my office.”

“Okay”, Allison replied. “Hey Mike?”

“Yeah?”, Michael said.

“I’m really, really happy for you”, Allison said.

 

***

 

Ryan was getting ready to leave work to go pick up Cooper at the pool. He got a text from Michael.

 

**Michael [5:45 PM]:** When u pick up Cooper bring ur suit.

**Ryan [5:47 PM]:** Why? What’s up?

**Michael [5:50 PM]:** Can’t tell u. It’s a surprise.

 

When Ryan arrived at the pool to pick up Cooper, a lot of the other kids were getting ready to leave. He greeted some of the other parents and kids, then went to find Michael. Allison and Cooper were sitting on the bleachers by the pool. Michael was standing on the pool deck, wearing a speedo with a design of a palm tree on it. The palm tree was…strategically placed, and Ryan hoped that Michael wouldn’t notice that he was staring again. He was having a hard time avoiding staring at Michael.

“Hey, Ryan”, Michael said. “Go change.”

Cooper smiled. “Hi Dad!”, he said. “You’re going to race Mr. Mike!”

Ryan laughed. “I am?”, he asked.

“Yes”, Michael said with a smile. “You told me the other night that you’ve dreamed of racing me. So, we’re going to race. You. Me. Right here. Right now.”

Ryan burst out laughing. “That’s an old dream”, he said. “I’m kind of out of practice.”

Michael shrugged. “I’m not”, he said with a smirk. A goofy grin spread across his face, and it made Ryan’s heart beat a little faster. “I work out two hours a day.”

Ryan grinned as his eyes scanned the length of Michael’s body. “Yeah you do”, he said with a nod. “Okay fine. Let’s do this.”

“I’m not going to go easy on you”, Michael said, his hazel eyes twinkling.

And so, it was settled. The race was on. Michael ended up beating Ryan by two full seconds. Allison and Cooper cheered.

“Not bad”, Ryan said, as he tried to catch his breath. 

Michael swam under the lane line so that he was in the same lane as Ryan. Ryan watched as Michael’s chest muscles expanded and contracted as he tried to catch his own breath. Up on the pool deck, Allison and Cooper had their backs turned, and were walking down the hall. Ryan guessed that Allison was taking him to the office to raid the secret candy stash. More importantly, Ryan and Michael were alone.

Ryan draped his arms around Michael’s shoulders and hooked his legs around Michael’s waist. “You are so hot”, he mumbled into Michael’s neck. “Like, _damn_.”

Michael’s hand was placed firmly on Ryan’s back. He blushed. “Nah”, he said.

Ryan laughed as he ran his hand down Michael’s back, and placed his hand down the back of Michael’s speedo. “Yeah, you are”, he said, as he squeezed Michael’s ass and kissed his neck. “Fuck, Mike. I just want to do this all the time.”

Michael pressed himself against Ryan and gently bit at Ryan’s lip. Their hips rocked together. Ryan murmured appreciatively and deepened the kiss.

As they casually splashed around in the water together, Ryan remembered why he used to love swimming so much. Even though he was disappointed about having lost the race, he was so touched that Michael had thought to arrange it for him. He knew right then, that everything he was feeling was real. He desperately wanted this new relationship to work out. 

“Hey Mike”, Ryan said softly. “Thanks for getting me to swim again. I don’t think I realized until now how much I missed being in the water.”

Michael smiled and shrugged as he started to climb out of the water. “Thanks for getting me to date again”, he said.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I suck at writing sex scenes, so I'm sorry for the awkwardness of this. :-p

The next day, Ryan was in his office at the gym finishing up some paperwork. Cooper was going camping with Luke and his family and some of the other kids from swimming. That meant that Ryan and Michael could have some time together that evening. He was working away, when he heard a knock that the door. It was Cooper, stopping by to visit before leaving for the weekend.

“Hi Dad!”, Cooper said as he ran into Ryan’s office.

“Hey Cooper!”, Ryan said cheerfully, happy to see his son. “You ready to go camping?”

Cooper nodded. “Uh-huh”, he said. “Luke’s mom said we could come say hi first.”

“I’m glad you did!”, Ryan said. “Have fun, okay? Be careful, and do what Luke’s mom and dad tell you to.”

“I know, Dad”, Cooper said obediently. “I’ve never been camping before. I’m excited”

Ryan nodded. “Well, if you have a good time, then you and I can go together sometime”, he said. “Sound good?”

“Cool!”, Cooper said. “Bye Dad!”

Ryan smiled. “Bye buddy”, he said. “Have fun on your camping trip!”  
“Have fun with Mr. Mike!”, Cooper replied as he hurried down the hall to meet up with his friends.

Ryan stayed at work for a while longer. It was a slow afternoon, so he stayed upstairs to work on paperwork while the rest of his staff worked with clients downstairs. He turned on some music on his computer and absent-mindedly sang along while he worked.

A little while later, there was another knock at his office door. He looked up and saw Michael standing in the doorway, wearing a bright blue pullover, and a pair of black sweatpants, sitting low on his hips. He was leaning against the door frame with his arms crossed. The sight of Michael’s strong, lean, athletic frame made Ryan’s stomach clench and his heart skip a beat.

“Hey, Mike!”, Ryan said cheerfully, grateful for the distraction from the endless pile of paperwork on his desk.

“Hey, teacher”, Michael said softly, as he walked into the office and closed the door behind him. He walked around to the other side of Ryan’s desk, and slid into his lap. He draped his arms around Ryan’s shoulders. “How about a private lesson?”

Ryan laughed softly as he looked up into Michael’s eyes and kissed him several times. “Cooper is camping with Luke’s family this weekend”, he said between kisses.

“Mmm”, Michael said with a smile and wide eyes. “So, well the kids are away, the adults will play?”

Ryan let out a low laugh. “What did you have in mind?”, he asked.

Michael responded by reaching up Ryan’s shirt and massaging his chest muscles. “A little bit of this”, he said, as he kissed Ryan deeply. “and a little bit of that.”

Ryan put his hands on Michael’s hips, and ran his thumbs under the waistband of his sweatpants and rubbed at his hipbones. “That sounds like a good idea to me”, he said.

 

***

 

After dinner, Michael and Ryan were sitting on the couch in Michael’s living room. The TV was on, but neither of them were paying much attention to it. Ryan scooted down so that he was on his back, with his head resting on the arm rest. Michael climbed on top of him and kissed him. Ryan placed his hands on Michael’s hips, and slowly slid his hands down the back of Michael’s jeans.

“Do you want to go upstairs?”, Michael asked.  
Ryan kissed Michael deeply. “Jeah”, he said, as he allowed Michael to pull him off the couch. They made their way upstairs, unable to let go of each other. Ryan unbuttoned Michael’s shirt, and pushed it off of his shoulders as they fell onto the bed together.

Michael was lying flat on his back next to Ryan. His jeans were riding low on his waist, and Ryan admired the tattoo at each hip. “Fuck, Mike”, Ryan said softly. “You are so hot.”

Ryan straddled him, and leaned down to kiss him. He smiled widely, as Michael reached up and unbuttoned his shirt. He moved his hands up and down Ryan’s torso, feeling the ripple of his muscles. Hastily, Ryan took off his shirt, and tossed it onto the pile of their clothes on the floor. 

Ryan leaned forward and ran his hands along Michael’s hard stomach. His skin felt warm. He ran a hand down to Michael’s hip, and gently thumbed the soft skin above the jut of bone. Michael’s body writhed as he let out a small sound that seemed to convey appreciation.

Ryan moved and leaned down to Michael’s stomach. He mouthed at Michael’s hipbone, leaving a mark. Michael cried out and begged for Ryan to continue. Ryan obliged and ran his tongue along the raised edge of Michael’s Olympic rings tattoo. His hand was resting near Michael’s crotch, and he could feel him getting hard through the fabric of his jeans.

“You’re so sexy, Baby”, Ryan breathed, as he fumbled to unfasten Michael’s belt. 

Michael pushed his jeans down, taking his underwear off too, and allowed his dick to bob free. Ryan leaned down and dragged his tongue along the base and swirled it over the head. Ryan pressed his tongue on the base of Michael’s shaft, and his lips wrapped around the head. Michael thrusted further into Ryan’s mouth. Michael’s hand was resting on Ryan’s back, and with his other hand, he tugged at Ryan’s scalp. 

“Fuck, Baby”, Michael groaned. “Feels so good.”

Ryan finishes, and looks up at Michael. They both smiled. Ryan inches his way back up Michael’s side. Michael turned to face him. Ryan gently bit at Michael’s lip. Michael dug his fingers into Ryan’s bare back and deepened the kiss. “I want you to fuck me”, he said, voice deep and raspy.

“Jeah?”, Ryan asked

“Mmm”, Michael groaned.

Ryan didn’t want to move away from Michael. Michael’s body felt so warm. Ryan kept one hand on Michael and with the other hand, he reached over on the nightstand next to him, and fumbled around until he found the bottle he was looking for. He poured some into his hand, and slowly, gently reached up until his forefinger was in the hole he wanted to occupy. First one finger, then two. He moved his fingers back and forth, slowly at first, then faster. His movements synced with the jerking motion of Michael’s hips.

“Oh fuck. Oh my god, Ry. Fuck. Shit. Fuck”, Michael panted.

“Good?”, Ryan asked.

“Fuuuuuuck”, Michael groaned.

Ryan took off his jeans and thrusted further into Michael, he mouthed at the skin below Michael’s earlobe. That was too much for Michael to take, and it sent him over the edge.

Ryan was breathing heavily as he fell back onto the bed. Michael leaned over and kissed him again. He smiled. “Fuuuuuuck”, he groaned again.

“Jeahhhhh”, Ryan agreed.

 

***

Later, Michael and Ryan were lying in bed, tangled in the sheets. The room felt warm, and neither of them had ever been so comfortable.

Michael leaned over and gently stroked Ryan’s arm as he kissed his neck. It felt good and made Ryan’s stomach clench. “Hey Ry?”, he said quietly.

“Yeah?”, Ryan asked.

“I really really like you”, Michael said softly. 

“I really like you, too”, Ryan replied. “I haven’t felt like this in a really long time, and with you, I know it’s right.”


	14. Chapter 14

Ryan curled up next to Michael as they fell asleep. He hadn’t felt so comfortable with someone in years, but knew that with Michael, it was the real deal. Michael felt the same way.

The woke up the next morning, and stayed in bed for a while, content to just lie there together.  
A little while later, Ryan got out of bed, to get ready to go to work. Michael was still lying in bed, with the covers just below his shoulders. “Babe, I have to work”, Ryan said softly. “We’ll pick this up later?”

Michael nodded. “What time are you coming home?”, he asked.

Ryan was slightly taken aback by that. “I… what?” he asked. “My home or you home?”

Michael blushed. “Oh”, he said. “I… um. Do you want to stay here again tonight?”

Ryan crawled back onto the bed next to Michael, and kissed his neck. “Yes, please”, he said. “Later babe.”

Michael leaned over and kissed Ryan deeply. “See you later”, he said with a grin. “I wish you didn’t have to go.”

“Me too”, Ryan said. “I’ll be back soon.”

***

After Ryan left for work, Michael stayed in bed for a little while longer. When he got out of bed, he made himself some breakfast, then went to visit Debbie.

When he arrived at Debbie’s house, she greeted him with a big hug, and ushered him into her big, comfortable living room.

“It’s so good to see you, sweetheart”, she said. “and you’re smiling!”

Michael blushed, and nodded. “I’m really, really happy”, he said, as he sat down on the couch.

Debbie poured him a cup of coffee and handed him the mug. “Hilary says that this new man in your life is very special”, she said with a smile. “Catch me up. What’s going on there?”

“He’s pretty amazing”, Michael said. “His name is Ryan. His son, Cooper is seven years old and is in one of my classes.”

Debbie nodded. “He has a kid?”, she asked.

Michael nodded. “Yeah. Long story short, the mother was his best friend in college, but she didn’t want a baby, so Ryan decided to raise him. From what I can see, he’s a really great dad.”

Debbie smiled. “It sounds like you really like Ryan”, she replied.  
Michael blushed. “I um… I haven’t felt like this in a really long time. It feels really good. He makes me happy.”

Debbie smiled. “I love hearing you say that, Michael”, Debbie said. “I haven’t seen you smile in far too long. It’s been a rough few years, hasn’t it?”

Michael nodded. “That’s for sure”, he agreed. He paused before adding, “Thanks for supporting me through all that.”

“Of course, sweetie”, Debbie said as she pulled him close. “I love you very much, and all I want for you is for you to be happy. I want to meet this man who has changed your life.”

Michael nodded. “His son is camping with a friend’s family for the weekend, so he won’t need to look for a babysitter. Maybe I can bring him over tonight?”

“That would be great!”, Debbie said. “Oh, sweetie, I love seeing you happy.”

Michael smiled, as he rested his head on her shoulder. “Thanks, Mom”, he said quietly. “I still have a long way to go, I think, but Ryan makes me happier than I’ve been in a very long time. It’s a good start.”

 

***

Ryan was sitting in his office, trying to finish up some work. His mother had called earlier that afternoon to let him know that she was trying to make some space in the attic, and was going to send him some of his old stuff that he left behind when he moved.

He was taking a break from work, and drinking a cup of coffee while playing a game on his computer. He received a text message from Michael.

 

**Michael [2:47 PM]:** hey babe. hows work?

**Ryan [2:50 PM]:** it’s ok. tired. wish u were here.

**Michael [2:52 PM]:** wish i was 2. wish i were touching u.

**Ryan [2:55 PM]:** HOT. really miss u.

**Michael [3:05 PM]:** so i’m at my mom’s and she wants 2 meet u. she wants u 2 come over 4 dinner tonite.

**Ryan [3:10 PM]:** I get 2 meet the famous Debbie?!

**Michael [3:12 PM]:** U want 2?

**Ryan [3:15 PM]:** ya!! what time?

**Michael [3:20 PM]:** is 6 ok? i’ll pick u up?

**Ryan [3:22 PM]:** 6 is great. i’ll drive over.

**Michael [3:25 PM]:** Awesome. see you then.

 

Debbie came home from running errands and grocery shopping and came to join Michael on the couch.

“Hi honey”, she said. “Is Ryan going to come over?”

Michael nodded. “Yeah. He’s going to come over when he gets out of work”, Michael said. “Hey, mom?”

Debbie glanced over at Michael and eyed him carefully. “Yes, Michael?”, she asked. “Are you okay?”

Michael smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine”, he said. “It’s just that… I really really like this guy. I um. I haven’t felt this way in a really long time.”

Debbie’s expression softened, and she smiled at her youngest child. “Do you love him, Michael?”, she asked.

Michael blushed, but he was smiling. “I don’t know yet”, he said softly. “I really, really like him, but saying that I love him just feels…too soon…”

“Does he know how you feel?”, Debbie asked gently.

Michael smiled again and nodded slowly. “I told him last night that I really like him”, he said. “and he said that he really likes me too. I mean, I care about him a lot, and he makes me feel good, so…Maybe it is love. I don’t know yet.”

Debbie looked almost gleeful as she pulled Michael into her arms and hugged him tightly. “Oh, sweetheart”, she said. “I’m so glad. It’s been such a long time for you, and I’ve been wanting you to find someone special who makes you happy.”

“Ryan makes me very happy”, Michael said. “Whenever I see him or talk to him, I just feel really happy. My heart starts beating really fast, and my stomach feels like it’s in knots, but like, in a really good way.”

Debbie laughed softly, and with her arm still around him, she gently ran her fingers through his hair. “That sure sounds like love to me, honey.”, she said. “and I’m so glad you found Ryan.”

Michael smiled against her shoulder. “Thanks Mama”, he said. “and what about you? Do you ever think you might fall in love again?”

Debbie hesitated. “I don’t know, sweetheart”, she said. “Sometimes I can get lonely and I think I might like to find a nice man to spend some time with, but then I think about all the things that I do have. I have a beautiful home, I enjoy my job, I have great friends and a loving family. You and your sisters bring me so much joy every day. My heart is very full. I live a very blessed life.”

***

Later that evening, Ryan arrived at Debbie’s house. When he rang the doorbell, Michael got up to answer it, and ushered him inside. Debbie met them in the foyer, and immediately gave Ryan a big hug.

“You must be Ryan”, she exclaimed. “It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”

 

Ryan smiled and returned the hug. “It’s nice to meet you to Mrs. Phelps”, he replied. “I brought a pie for dessert.”

“Oh, Ryan, please call me Debbie”, she replied. “And thank you!”

Ryan followed Debbie into the kitchen, and placed the pie on the counter. “Everything smells delicious, Debbie”, Ryan said.

Debbie smiled at Ryan, then turned to Michael and nodded, showing her approval. “We’re having lasagna”, she said. “It’s Michael’s favorite.”

“Great!”, Ryan replied. “I love lasagna too!”

The three of them sat down to eat dinner together. Debbie asked Ryan questions about growing up in Florida, his job, and Cooper.

Debbie told him stories about her job, Hilary’s boyfriend, and something cute that Conor and Taylor had done at a recent family dinner.

After dinner and dessert, Michael walked Ryan to the door. “Thanks for coming tonight”, he said. “I can tell that my mom really likes you.”

“Thanks, Mike”, Ryan said. “She’s great. I really like your family. So, I’ll see you later?”

Michael nodded and kissed Ryan. “Definitely”, he said. “I’m going to hang out with my mom for a little while longer, but I’ll see you back at my house in a little while?”

Ryan nodded. “Perfect”, he said. “I need to stop at my house for a bit, but I’ll see you in a little while.”

“Sounds great!”, Michael said. “I’ll see you then.”

Ryan smiled and walked to his car and drove home. Michael went back into Debbie’s house. Debbie gave him a hug. 

“Oh, Michael”, Debbie said with a smile. “Ryan is wonderful.”

Michael gave a watery laugh and hugged Debbie. “He’s great, isn’t he?”, he said. “I really like him, Mom.”

 

***

When Ryan arrived at home later that evening, he had a package waiting for him. It was the items that his mother had sent. He opened the box and pulled out all of his old swimming things. He smiled, because thanks to Michael, the idea of swimming no longer made him sad.

Underneath all of the speedos and goggles and swim caps, Ryan found a photo album full of pictures from college. He opened it and found pictures of him and his friends at swim meets throughout his college career, pictures from parties, and on the last page, a picture of him, Sarah, and Cooper on the night Cooper was born.


	15. Chapter 15

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long wait between chapters!

A little while later, Ryan went back over to Michael’s house. He couldn’t stop thinking about the picture of Sarah. Michael was waiting for him in the living room, and went Ryan sat down, they curled up on the couch together. Ryan rested his head on Michael’s shoulder, and Michael wrapped his arm around Ryan’s back. Ryan snuggled into Michael and draped his arm over Michael’s waist.

“Thanks for coming over to meet my Mom”, Michael said. “She really liked you.”

Ryan smiled. “Thanks for inviting me”, he said, a bit distractedly. “Your family is great.”

Michael smiled and leaned into Ryan. “You okay, babe?”, he asked. “You seem… I don’t know. A little distracted I guess.”

Ryan sighed. “Um, so, I went to my house before coming back here, and I had a package waiting for me”, Ryan said. “My mom sent me a bunch of stuff that I’ve been storing at her house since I moved. The box had a bunch of my old swimming stuff in it.”

Michael nodded. “It must have brought back a lot of memories for you”, he said softly.

“That’s not all”, Ryan said. “There was a photo album in there too. A bunch of college pictures and whatnot. There was a picture of me and Sarah with Coop on the night he was born.”

“Oh”, Michael said.

“And like, what she did hurt like hell. Fuck, Mike. It was awful. I’m just worried because I think Coop might be getting to the age where he’s going to start asking questions about her.”

“Mmm”, Michael said distractedly.

“You okay, Mike?”, Ryan asked.

Michael was staring at his lap and wringing his hands. “Like, do you want to get back together with her?”, he asked. “I thought things were pretty good with me and you.”

“Mike, stop!”, Ryan exclaimed. “Where is this coming from?”

Michael paused. “You’re just bringing it up out of the blue”, he said. “So it sounds like you…”

Ryan looked up into Michael’s eyes. “Mike, no”, he said. “There’s nothing going on with me and Sarah. There was never anything. I explained all of that to you. I haven’t even seen her in almost seven years.”

Michael nodded. “Yeah, I know”, he said quietly. “I’m just scared that you’re going to leave me.”

“That isn’t going to happen”, Ryan said, as he grabbed Michael’s hands. “Mike, you are the best thing that has ever happened to me. I want to be with you for a long time.”

“Good”, Michael said with a small smile. “So what are you going to do about Cooper?”

Ryan shrugged. “I don’t know”, he said. “I don’t know if I should bring it up with him or wait for him to ask me. It’s a touchy subject. I mean, yeah. What Sarah did fucking sucked, but she’s his mom. He deserves to know about her if he wants to.”

“That makes sense”, Michael agreed with a nod. “Do you want my advice?”  
Ryan nodded. “Yes”, he said. “Please. Tell me what I should do.”

“Don’t hide the pictures from him. Even show them to him if you want, but don’t bring up Sarah unless he asks who she is.”

“Okay”, Ryan said. “That’s a good idea.”

***

Ryan spent the night at Michael’s house, and they had breakfast together the next morning. Later that afternoon, Ryan went home to wait for Luke’s parents to bring Cooper home.

When Cooper came through the door, he had a big smile on his face. “Dad!”, he exclaimed. “Camping is fun! We built a fire and made s’mores, and slept in sleeping bags!”

Ryan laughed. “It sounds like you had a good time, bud”, he said. “You and I can go camping together sometime if you’d like!

Cooper nodded. “Okay!”, he said.

Later that night, after Cooper got cleaned up, and he and Ryan ate dinner, they sat in the living room together. 

“What’s in the box, Dad?”, Cooper asked, pointing towards the package Ryan had received.

Ryan smiled. “Grammy sent it to me. It’s a box of a bunch of my old stuff from swimming, and some pictures from college.”

“Cool!”, Cooper said. “Can I see the pictures?”

Ryan smiled and nodded. He took the photo album out of the box and handed it to Cooper. 

Cooper took the album and started flipping through it. Then he started laughing. “You look funny with curly hair, Dad!”, he exclaimed.

Ryan pouted. “Thanks a lot, bud!”, he said with a laugh.

Cooper flipped through the rest of the album and came across the picture with Sarah. Ryan wondered what was about to happen. “Who’s this lady, Dad?”, Cooper asked.

Ryan swallowed. “Her name is Sarah”, he said softly. “She was my best friend when I was in college. She’s your mom, buddy.”  
Cooper stared at the picture. “What happened to her?”, he asked sadly. “She didn’t want me?”

Ryan felt like he was going to burst into tears. “No, buddy”, he said. “She just… she wasn’t ready to be a mom.”

“Well how do you get ready?”, Cooper asked.

Ryan took another deep breath. “It’s hard to explain”, he said. “Some people just know what’s right for them, and others don’t. I knew that I was ready to be your dad right away.”

Cooper smiled. “I’m glad you’re my dad”, he said. 

Ryan smiled. “I’m glad I’m your Dad too”, he replied.

“And I don’t want someone who doesn’t want me to be my mom”, Cooper continued.

“Aw, don’t say that, Cooper”, he said. “I don’t want you to hate your mom, but I wanted you to know about her.”

“Thanks for telling me the story, Dad”, Cooper said. “I don’t need her. I have you. And Mr. Mike!”

“and Mr. Mike”, Ryan repeated. “So, you understand that Mr. Mike and I have been spending a lot of time together, right?”

Cooper nodded. “Yup”, he said. “I like Mr. Mike. He makes you happy!”

Ryan smiled. “He does”, he said quietly.

“Do you kiss him?”, Cooper asked with a grin.

Ryan laughed and rolled his eyes. “Time for you to go to bed, buddy”, he said.

 

***

After Ryan took Cooper up to bed, he took a shower, then went back downstairs to finish cleaning the kitchen from dinner. Then he went into the living room to relax for the rest of the evening. He sent Michael a text.

 

**Ryan [9:30 PM]:** hey babe

**Michael [9:40 PM]:** hey sexy.

**Ryan [9:41 PM]:** I talked 2 Coop bout his mom

**Michael [9:50 PM]:** Yeah? how'd it go?

**Ryan [9:52 PM]:** Good I think. He was just curious about her. He likes me and u together btw

**Michael [9:54 PM]:** Smart kid ;-)

**Ryan [9:55 PM]:** hehehehe

**Michael [9:58 PM]:** Ry… I’m takin off my sweats…

**Ryan [10:00 PM]:** Fuck Mike. Hot.

**Michael [10:02 PM]:** What r u wearin?

**Ryan [10:02 PM]:** Sweatpants tshirt and hoodie. Cold.

**Michael [10:03 PM]:** If I were there I’d warm u up.

**Ryan [10:04 PM]:** Wish u were here. I want to touch u

**Michael [10:05 PM]:** me too. 

Ryan’s doorbell rang. He let out a heavy sigh. He hated being interrupted when he was talking to Michael.

**Ryan [10:06 PM]:** Fuck. someone’s at the door. to be continued?

**Michael [10:07 PM]:** k. need 2 sleep anyway. I’m exhausted from our weekend activities ;-)

 

Ryan smiled, and put his phone on the coffee table, and got up to answer the door. He opened the door to see Sarah standing in front of him.

“Hey, Ryan”, she said quietly.


	16. Chapter 16

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay in posting this! Work has been crazy. I haven't had any time for writing and editing and having fun.

“Sarah”, Ryan said quietly.

 

“I miss you”, she said softly.

“Why are you here?”, Ryan asked.

“I just told you”, Sarah replied. “I miss you and I want to see our son.”

“He’s not your son”, Ryan snapped. “You lost that right when you wrote us off.”

Sarah’s face crumpled and she walked into the house.

“Oh yes, please allow me to invite you in”, Ryan bit out sarcastically.

“The movie I was filming wrapped up last week. I broke up with my boyfriend, and the guy I was sleeping with on the side lost interest in me”, Sarah said. “I’m lonely and I decided to come see you!”

“How did you find me?”, Ryan asked.

“We have mutual friends, Ry”, Sarah said, as if it should be obvious. “I hear things.”

“I need you to leave”, Ryan said. “I don’t want Cooper to wake up and find you here.”

Sarah frowned. “It’s not like he’ll know who I am”, she said. “Maybe he’ll think I’m your new girlfriend.”

“He knows who you are, Sarah”, Ryan said. “He’s seen pictures. He won’t believe that you’re my girlfriend. I’m gay. You know that.”

“But Cooper doesn’t!”, Sarah protested.

“Yes he does”, Ryan snapped, his voice rising. “My boyfriend is his swimming instructor.”

Sarah almost smiled at that. “Cooper is a swimmer?”, she asked. “Just like you.”

Ryan nodded. “Yes”, he said. “His instructor is a great man, the best I’ve ever been with. I’m so happy.”

“But I want to be with you”, Sarah said. “You, me, and Cooper. We can be a family!”

“No!”, Ryan said. “8 years ago you said that you didn’t want to be a mother. You signed away your parental rights to me. You can’t just come back all of a sudden and demand contact!”

Sarah inched towards Ryan and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed him. Ryan stood motionless, not touching her, not returning the kiss. At that moment, Michael walked through the front door.

“Ryan?” he asked.

Ryan shot away from Sarah. “Oh my god!”, he yelled. “Michael! What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you.”

“Obviously”, Michael said bitterly.

“Mike, no”, Ryan said pleadingly. “This is Sarah. She’s…Cooper’s mom. She just showed up.”

“I wanted to see my Ryan”, Sarah said.

“I’m not your Ryan!”, Ryan yelled.

“Why did you kiss her?” Michael asked so quietly that Ryan barely heard him.

“I…didn’t”, Ryan said. “I didn’t want to. She showed up. She’s leaving now.”

“You kissed someone else, Ryan!”, Michael yelled. “I trusted you!”

“Mike, please!”, Ryan said. “Sarah. Leave.”

“I’m not leaving until I see my son!”, Sarah screamed.

Cooper appeared at the top of the stairs. “Dad?”, he asked. “What’s going on? I heard yelling.”

“Everything is okay, buddy”, Ryan said. “Go back to sleep.”

“I’ll take care of it”, Michael said quietly. He raced up the stairs, and picked up Cooper and swung him over his back. “Hey, buddy!” he said. Ryan could hear the sadness in Michael’s voice, and it made him feel awful.

“Mr. Mike!” Cooper exclaimed.

“Sarah, please”, Ryan begged. “You need to leave.”

“You have a nice life here”, Sarah commented, as she looked around. “A beautiful home, a great kid, and you’re dating Michael Phelps.”

“My life is everything I ever dreamed of”, Ryan said. “After you left, I thought I’d never be happy again. Now, I can’t imagine my life any other way.”  
“I don’t want to mess anything up for you”, Sarah said. “I just wish that we could be together.”

Ryan shook his head. “We can’t”, he said. “We used to be best friends, and sometimes I miss that, but we have different lives now.”

“It doesn’t have to be that way”, Sarah said sadly.

“Yes it does”, Ryan said, his voice softening. “That chapter is over.”

“Can I stay here tonight?”, Sarah asked. 

Ryan looked down at his feet and shook his head. “It’s not a good idea”, he said. “Maybe that makes me a dick, but you need to leave. I need to make things right with Michael.”

Sarah nodded, and gave Ryan a hug. He carefully gathered her into his arms, and hugged her back. 

“Bye”, he said.

“Bye, Ryan”, Sarah said softly.

Ryan watched her walk down the front path, and get into her cherry red convertible. He watched as she drove away. He closed the front door and let out a sigh of relief. He scrubbed his hands across his face. When he looked up again, Michael was coming down the stairs. His eyes were red, and his cheeks were stained with tears.

“Cooper’s asleep”, he said softly.

“Mike?”, Ryan asked hoarsely.

“Save it, Ryan”, Michael snapped.

“Mike, please!”, Ryan begged, as he gestured for Michael to join him on the couch. 

Michael reluctantly sat down next to him. “What happened, Ryan?”, he asked.

“Nothing happened”, Ryan said. “I promise.”

“So, she just showed up out of nowhere?”, Michael asked. “Seems a little too coincidental that she came over right after you left my house, and it’s the first time you’ve had any contact with her in a few years.”

“In eight years!”, Ryan exclaimed, immediately feeling sorry for yelling at Michael.

“You know that I have issues trusting people!”, Michael said. “Then you go and cheat on me!”

“I didn’t cheat on you!”, Ryan snapped. “Sarah showed up, begging to see Cooper. When I wouldn’t let her, she said that she wanted to be with me, even though I already said no to that when she made the same confession back when we were in college.”

“Then you kissed her”, Michael said flatly.

“I didn’t kiss her!”, Ryan said.

“It takes two people to kiss”, Michael said.

“She kissed me, but I didn’t kiss her back”, Ryan said. “I didn’t feel anything!”

“But you fucked her”, Michael said. 

“That was years ago, Michael!”, Ryan said. “It didn’t feel the same as it does with you, because I’ve never thought of her that way. When I slept with her... I didn’t feel anything. It brought me my amazing son, but sleeping with her isn’t like it is with you. Sex with you is on a whole different level. It makes me feel… alive.”

“Like, I love you Ry. I just…”, Michael said softly.

It was the first time. “You love me?”, Ryan asked.

Michael nodded. “Yeah, I do”, he said. “I know it’s kinda soon to say it, and maybe it’s weird to say it when we’re fighting, but it’s how I feel.”

“I love you so much”, Ryan said softly. He was looking at Michael’s face carefully, as if he were trying to memorize the moment. Maybe it was a weird thing to be attracted to, but he loved Michael’s cheekbones. He loved the way that Michael’s face crinkled whenever he smiled, and wished that he could make him smile now.

“I love you, Ry”, Michael said again. “I just need some time to think things through.”

Ryan felt like his throat was closing. “What do you need to think about?”, he asked.

“This”, Michael said. “You. Me. Just… things. I know you said that nothing happened with Sarah, but I have a really hard time trusting people. I love you. I just need some time to think.”

“Do you want to stay here tonight?”, Ryan asked. “We don’t have to do anything. We can just sleep.”

Michael shook his head, and leaned over to give Ryan a soft kiss. “Not tonight”, he said. “Just give me some time.”

Ryan nodded as he deepened the kiss, and rubbed Michael’s back. “I love you”, he said again. “We’re going to be okay, right?”

Michael didn’t say anything. He just looked into Ryan’s eyes, squeezed his thigh, and stood up to leave.


	17. Chapter 17

Ryan let out a heavy sigh and went up to his room. He collapsed onto his bed and tried to process the events of the previous night. He was furious with Sarah for trying to infringe on his and Cooper’s lives. He was upset that Michael saw something and misinterpreted it. He was upset that he didn’t know where he stood with Michael.

After breakfast the next morning, he drove Cooper to school. 

“Dad, what happened last night?”, Cooper asked.

Ryan sighed. “It’s a long story, buddy”, he said.

“Who was that mean lady who was yelling?”, Cooper asked. “She made you yell, and you never yell. She made Mr. Mike sad.”

“That was your Mom, Coop”, Ryan said honestly. 

“She’s mean”, Cooper said. “I don’t like her.”

“Cooper Steven”, Ryan warned.

“But Dad!”, Cooper protested. 

“No buts, Cooper”, Ryan said. “Don’t say bad things about people. It’s not nice.”

“I don’t want to see her”, Cooper said.

“You don’t have to, buddy”, Ryan said gently. 

***

Ryan dropped Cooper off at school, and went to work. He worked on paper work, ran a few sessions with clients, and trained a couple of new trainers. He worked right through his lunch break, and by two o’clock he was starving. He was so used to Michael calling him or texting him around his lunch time. When he didn’t get the usual Michael chat, it threw off his whole day. He left work early, and picked up a sandwich and a coffee for himself on the way to pick up Cooper at school. He called Michael on the way, but the phone went directly to voicemail.  
When he pulled up to the school, Cooper came running over to the car. “Dad!” he called out excitedly, as he practically vaulted himself into the car. “I got an A on my science test!”

“That’s great, buddy!”, Ryan said, as he reached over and ruffled Cooper’s curly hair. Cooper had inherited the Lochte curls, and Ryan couldn’t be happier. The more Lochte genes in that kid, the better. “We should celebrate tonight! How about pizza?”

“Yay!”, Cooper exclaimed. “Can we invite Mr. Mike?”

Ryan felt like he had been punched in the stomach. “I’ll try calling him”, he replied. 

Of course, when Ryan tried to call Michael, the phone went directly to voicemail again. Ryan was beginning to worry.

***

It had been a week. There was still no sign of Michael. Ryan tried calling a few more times with no luck. One of the other parents was on carpool duty for the kids that week, so Ryan hadn’t been at the pool before or after Cooper’s weekly lesson. He went over to Michael’s house one day, but the house was in total darkness. He knocked on the door, but Michael didn’t answer. Ryan was quickly approaching his breaking point. He took matters into his own hands, and went to the pool to talk to the one person who might be able to help.

Allison was waiting for him when he walked into the building. “Hey, Ryan”, she said, as she led him down the hall and into Michael’s office.

“Mike’s not here, is he?”, Ryan asked worriedly.

“Mike hasn’t gotten out of bed in three days”, Allison replied. “He’s not sleeping. He’s not eating. He just lies around in the dark. He won’t even talk to Debbie, and he tells her everything.”

“Shit”, Ryan said. “It’s all my fault.”

Allison sat down at Michael’s desk, and motioned for Ryan to sit down across from her. She shook her head. “It’s not, Ryan”, she said. “Mike is… He’s my best friend but he takes things personally sometimes. He gets into his own head a little too much. He can be a bit of a drama queen at times.”

“Allison”, Ryan began. “Do you know what happened? Did Mike tell you?”

Allison shook her head. “Not really”, she said. “I went over there the other day after he didn’t return my calls, and he was lying in bed in the dark. I asked him what was wrong and he mumbled your name a few times, so I figured something happened. He wouldn’t say what it was, just that he missed you.”

Ryan sighed. “Okay”, he said. “Here goes. Cooper’s mom showed up out of nowhere. She demanded to see him, even though she signed away her parental rights after he was born. She’s always kind of had a thing for me, and now she wants to be together. I said no. She kissed me, and Mike walked in.”

“Shit”, Allison said. “That was the night that he couldn’t sleep. He called me after you left to go pick up Cooper. He said that you two had a really nice time together. He was going to go to bed, but he couldn’t sleep. I encouraged him to go see you. I’m sorry, Ryan.”

Ryan shook his head. “It’s not your fault, Allie”, he said. “What should I do?”

“Go see him”, Allison replied. “He knows that you didn’t do anything wrong. He just… he has a hard time trusting people. He loves you, Ryan. I’ve never seen him this happy in all the years that I’ve known him.”

“I’m worried that he won’t want to talk to me”, Ryan said. “I don’t want to lose him. He’s the best thing that has ever happened to me.”

“He’s stubborn, but he wants to see you”, Allison said. “I know he does. Go to his house. Try to talk to him. Get him to eat something. It will all be okay.”

Ryan nodded. “Okay”, he said. “If you’re sure.”

“Do you want me to come with you?”, Allison asked kindly.

Ryan nodded. “That would be great”, he said. “Thanks, Allie.”

Allison smiled. She stood up and put her arm around Ryan. “It’s the least I can do for the guy who made my best friend smile again”, she said.

***

“What if the door is locked?”, Ryan asked as he and Allison approached Michael’s front door.

Allison shrugged. “I have a key”, she said. They let themselves into Michael’s house. There were some dishes drying on the rack by the sink, so they knew that Michael had been downstairs. 

“Mike”, Allison called softly. “Michael Fred, you answer me this second!”

Ryan giggled. “You tell him, Al”, he said, earning a punch from Allison.

They walked into the living room, and found Michael sitting on the couch. “Hey”, Allison said softly. She walked over to him and sat next to him. “You doin’ okay, hon?”

Michael nodded. “I’m okay”, he said.

“Ryan’s here”, she said. “Please talk to him.”  
Michael looked up at Ryan. “Hey, Ryan”, he said softly. 

“Hey”, Ryan said, smiling. “How are you?”

“I need to shower”, Michael said.

“I was going to say!”, Allison exclaimed. “Okay, you go shower. Ryan and I are going to make you something to eat. Are you hungry?”

Michael shrugged. “I guess”, he said. He still hadn’t said much to Ryan.

“Mike”, he said. 

“Forget it, Ryan”, Michael said. He went into the bathroom, and Allison and Ryan heard the water turn on.

Ryan frowned. “What was that?” he asked. “Does he mean ‘Forget it’ like ‘Don’t talk to me’ or ‘It’s okay’?”

“It’s all going to be okay”, Allison said, not really answering Ryan’s question.

“I don’t know about that, Al”, Ryan said. “He could barely look me in the eye.”

Allison rolled his eyes. “My best friend is a stubborn idiot”, she replied. “I have a feeling you are too.”

Ryan tried to protest, but Allison waved him off. “You two idiots are perfect for each other”, she said. “Talk to him.”

They heard the shower turn off, and Michael walked out of the bathroom, his towel tied low on his his hips. Ryan felt his stomach clench as he looked Michael up and down. He tried to hide his smile.

Michael walked over to them, and gave Allison a hug. “Hey”, he said.

Allison rubbed his back. “Please talk to Ryan”, she whispered.

Michael nodded. He walked over to Ryan, and gently kissed him. “I’m sorry”, he said. “Just let me put some clothes on, then we’ll talk.”

“We can talk with you in your towel”, Ryan said, his eyes twinkling. “I don’t mind.”

“You just want me for my body”, Michael joked, as he turned to go to his bedroom.

“Doesn’t hurt!”, Ryan called back.

Allison put her arm around Ryan. “See?”, she said. “Everything will work out.”

Ryan nodded. He hoped she was right.


	18. Chapter 18

When Michael came back downstairs, he was wearing a pair of fitted dark jeans that sat low on his hips and a faded blue t-shirt. Ryan hoped that Michael didn’t notice him staring, but he couldn’t help it. Ryan loved the way Michael looked clothed or not. Michael was beautiful inside and out, and Ryan hoped that he would be able to hold him again.

“Hey”, Michael said.

“Hey”, Ryan said.

“I’ll be in the kitchen”, Allison said.

“Can we talk?”, Ryan asked.

Michael nodded, and he and Ryan sat down on the couch today. “I’m sorry I kind of checked out on you”, Michael said.

“It’s okay, Mike”, Ryan said gently. “Will you let me explain what happened?”

Michael shook his head. “You don’t have to explain”, he said. “Do you really love Sarah?”

“Not even a little bit”, Ryan said. “She used to be my best friend, but she walked out on her son. I can’t love someone like that. She stopped being my best friend the moment the strip turned pink.”

Michael frowned. “She’s your kid’s mom, though”, he said. “She’s always going to be in your lives.”

“She lost that right a long time ago”, Ryan said. “Cooper even told me that he doesn’t want her in his life. I think it’s better that way.”  
Michael nodded. “When I saw her at your house that night, it scared me”, he admitted.

“I know, and I’m sorry”, Ryan said. “I promise you, I didn’t know that she was going to show up. If she had given me any sort of notice, or if you hadn’t come over at that exact moment, I could have warned you. I’m sorry that things got so fucked up.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t have more faith in you”, Michael said. “I have issues, and I’m trying to work on them.”

“We can work on it together”, Ryan offered.

Michael nodded. “Thank you, Ryan”, he said. He leaned his head on Ryan’s shoulder, and Ryan wrapped his arm around him. He ran his hand up and down Michael’s back and wound his arm around Michael’s waist. He slipped his fingertips between Michael’s skin and the waistband of his jeans. He ran his fingers along Michael’s hipbone, and gently massaged the raised edge of the Michigan ‘M’ on Michael’s hip. Michael squirmed and let out a small noise.

“You okay?”, Ryan asked.

The muscle of Michael’s hard stomach contracted. “Ticklish”, he said with a giggle.

Ryan laughed softly and pinched Michael’s side. “I forgot”, he said.

Michael laughed too. “I missed this”, he said. “I missed you touching me. I missed you.”

“I missed you too, Baby”, Ryan said.

“Get a room!”, Allison called out cheerfully as she brought out a platter of food from the kitchen and set it on the coffee table. “You boys okay?”

Ryan nodded. “I think so”, he said, glancing over at Michael.

“We’re good”, Michael said softly, as he leaned over and kissed Ryan.

“Good”, she said. “Now, eat up!”

“Thanks, Allie”, Michael said, as he took a chicken wing off of the platter.

The three of them sat in Michael’s living room and ate the food that Allison prepared. When they finished, Ryan said. “Thanks so much, Allie. For everything.”

“No problem”, Allison replied. “I’m just glad you two are okay.”

Ryan smiled. “Me too”, he said. “Now I have to go pick up Cooper from school.”  
“Don’t go!”, Michael protested.

Allison smiled. “How about this”, she said. “Let me go pick up Cooper. That way you two can… get reacquainted. I’ll bring Cooper back here later.”

Michael and Ryan glanced at each other and nodded. “Thanks, Al”, Michael said, as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “I’m so glad we have each other.”

Allison gently touched his arm. “Eh”, she said. “I guess I’ll keep you.”

Michael laughed. “I love you”, said.

“I love you too, you asshole”, she said with a laugh. “Bye, Ryan”

Ryan laughed at their interaction. He was glad that Michael had a friend like her. He was glad that he had gotten to know Allison too. He was happy that being a part of Michael’s life meant being in Allison’s life too. “Bye, Allie”, he said. “Thank you.”

When they heard the door close behind Allison, Michael turned to Ryan and pinned him to the couch, kissing him roughly.

“Fuck, Mike”, Ryan groaned. “I can’t wait to get these clothes off of you.” He reached under Michael’s shirt, and ran his hands along Michael’s long, lean torso. 

Michael responded by unbuttoning Ryan’s shirt. Ryan undid Michael’s belt, and slipped off his jeans. He took hold of Michael’s hard dick and ran his fingers up and down the shaft.

“Suck me”, Michael commanded.

Ryan didn’t protest. He took Michael into his mouth, and Michael thrusted. Ryan obeyed, and as he finished, he gently flicked his tongue around the head.

“Now turn over”, Michael said.

“So demanding, Baby”, Ryan joked. “I like the new you.”

“No cute stuff”, Michael said. “Turn over so I can fuck you through the couch.”

“Shit”, Ryan said, approvingly. “Our week long separation changed you. Not that I’m complaining.”

Michael reached over on the side table by the couch, and pulled a bottle of lube out of the drawer.

“You have lube just sitting in your living room?”, Ryan asked.  
“I like to be prepared”, Michael replied with a shrug.

“Weirdo”, Ryan replied.

“You love it”, Michael said, as he poured some of the liquid into his hands and stuck a finger into the hole. Then two fingers. Then he entered Ryan.

“Harder, baby”, Ryan grunted.

“As you wish”, Michael replied, thrusting further. Soon, he is coming, and he rolls off of Ryan, and slips into the small space between Ryan and the back of the couch.

“Shit”, Ryan said approvingly. “That was… fuck.”

“Good?”, Michael asked. 

“Very good”, Ryan replied.

“You always make me feel so good”, Michael said. “This time was my turn to make you feel good.”

“I love you”, Ryan replied.

“I love you so much”, Michael said. “Thank you for changing my life.”

Ryan wrapped his arm around Michael’s waist. He shifted so that he was lying on his back, and pulled Michael up on top of him. Michael shifted so that his hips lined up with Ryan’s, and he pressed his hard stomach into Ryan’s. Ryan loved the feeling of Michael’s skin against his. He ran his hand up and down Michael’s back from the nape of his neck down to his ass. Michael kissed him, and Ryan deepened the kiss, as he pulled Michael even closer.

They stayed like that for a while, until Michael suggested that they get up and go get a cup of coffee. They both stood up and put their clothes on, and took a walk down the street. They went to a little cafe down the street from Michael’s house, and each ordered a cup of coffee. They shared a pastry, then headed back to Michael’s house. When they arrived, Allison and Cooper were walking into the house. 

“Hey, buddy”, Ryan called out.

“Mr. Mike!”, Cooper exclaimed, as he ran past Ryan and jumped into Michael’s arms.

“Oof”, Michael said as he picked up Cooper. “You’re getting so big!”

Ryan watched them, then looked over at Allie and pouted. “I’m here too”, he said.

Allison shook her head and laughed. “Michael is everyone’s favorite”, she lamented.

Ryan looked over at Michael laughing and joking with Cooper. It warmed his heart to see Michael with his son. He smiled. “He sure is”, he said quietly.

“You love him, huh?”, Allison asked softly.

Ryan looked at her and nodded. He felt himself choke up a little bit. “More than anything”, he replied.


	19. Chapter 19

“Michael Fred”, Debbie exclaimed, as her only son stepped into her living room that evening. “You haven’t called me in a week, and you look like you haven’t slept in days. What’s going on? Are you sick?”

“I’m fine, Mom”, Michael assured her. “I’ve just had kind of a stressful week.”

“Is everything okay, honey?”, Debbie asked. “I talked to Allison last night, and she seemed worried about you. She said you haven’t really been acting like yourself. I think she’s right.”

Michael rolled his eyes, not sure if he should be annoyed or touched that Allison had reached out to Debbie. “I’m fine, Mom”, Michael said again. “I’ve had a lot on my mind lately, and I probably haven't really been taking good care of myself, but I’m fine.”

Debbie nodded, but still didn’t seem convinced. Michael was her youngest child, and even though he was all grown up and living on his own, she was very protective of him. “Would you like something to eat?”, she asked, certain that a hearty dinner would cure whatever had upset him.

Michael smiled and nodded. Debbie may have been a little overprotective, but Michael loved her dearly, and appreciated her efforts. “I could eat”, he said. “Al made a big lunch for me and Ryan earlier, but you know me. I could always be talked into eating something.”

Debbie laughed and nodded. “And how is Ryan?”, she asked.

“He’s okay”, Michael said, as he followed Debbie into the house. “His son’s mother showed up kind of out of nowhere. She caused a lot of stress for Ryan.”

“Sounds like a sticky situation”, Debbie commented. “Let’s go into the kitchen to talk, and I’ll make you something special to eat.”

Michael and Debbie sat in the kitchen together and ate their dinner. “So, what happened?”, Debbie asked.

Michael took a deep breath before telling Debbie the whole story. “She was there when I went over one night. I guess I kind of took things the wrong way a bit, and Ryan and I had to work that out. It was hard, but things are a lot better now. The problem is she’s still hanging around Baltimore, and I don’t know what’s going to happen. She tried contacting Ryan again while he and I were spending the day together.”

“What does Ryan think of all of this?”, Debbie asked. 

“He says that he wants her gone”, Michael said. “I kind of wish she’d leave too. Ryan doesn’t want her there. Cooper doesn’t even want to get to know her. I just hope that she doesn’t try to do anything sneaky.”

Debbie nodded. “Do you trust Ryan?”, she asked.

Michael smiled. “I do”, he said.

“So, you’ll just have to trust that everything will work out”, Debbie replied.

They at the rest of their meal in a comfortable silence. Debbie had been watching Michael carefully. Always the protective mother, she was worried about him. He had struggled a lot over the past few years, and as far as she knew, he still hadn’t really dealt with his grief from his boyfriend’s death all those years ago. It upset her to see her son hurting, and she wanted so desperately to be able to fix it. After dinner, they brought their coffee into the living room, and sat on the couch.

“You really love Ryan, don’t you sweetie?”, Debbie asked, as she handed him a cup of coffee. He took a sip, and the steaming hot liquid singed his tongue as it trickled down his throat.

Michael nodded. He swallowed the lump in his throat. “He makes me so happy, Mama”, he replied, his voice breaking with every word. The emotions that he had been feeling lately and bottling up were threatening to spill over. “I haven’t felt like this since…”

“I know, Baby”, Debbie said softly, drawing him close. Michael had begun to cry and was gasping for air. “It’s okay. It’s okay.”

“I miss him so much”, Michael choked out. He was crying and convulsing in her arms, and she held him tightly as she tried to console him.

Debbie continued to stroke his back. “It’s okay”, she tried to soothe, as Michael tugged at her shirt and buried his face in her shoulder. “Shhhh. I’m here, Baby. You’re okay.”

“It’s so hard”, Michael said between sobs. “I love Ryan, but what about Eric?”

Debbie leaned back onto the couch, and Michael rested his head on the pillow in her lap. “Oh, Baby”, she said softly. “Loving Ryan doesn’t have to mean forgetting Eric. As long as he lives on in your heart, he’s not really gone.”

“I feel like it’s kinda disrespectful to him”, Michael whispered. “I loved him, and I feel like I shouldn’t be with anyone else. Now he’s gone, and I love Ryan. I don’t know what I should do.”

Debbie thought for a moment, and ran her fingers through Michael’s messy hair. “Eric loved you, my boy”, she said. “He always wanted what was best for you. He’d want you to move on and find someone special. I can think of no better way to honor his memory.”

Michael’s sobs were beginning to subside. His eyes were red, and crying had drained him of all of his energy. He felt sick to his stomach. “I love you”, he whispered. “Thank you.”

“I love you too, sweetheart”, Debbie whispered, as she stroked his back. “Will you stay here tonight? I don’t want you to drive home like this.”  
Michael nodded. “Okay”, he agreed. “I’m too tired to drive, anyway.”

“I love you sweetie”, Debbie said. “Go get some sleep.”

Michael stood up and gave Debbie a hug. “Thanks, Mom”, he said quietly. “I love you.” He went upstairs to the guest room at Debbie’s house. He had left a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt there the last time he slept over, so he changed into those before crawling into bed. He sent Ryan a text message before setting his phone on the nightstand.

 

**Michael [9:30 PM]:** Just saying good night. Love you.

**Ryan [9:32 PM]:** Good night? This early? Love you too.

**Michael [9:34 PM]:** Yeah. really tired. had dinner with Mom. I ended up feeling sick so I’m going to stay here tonight.

**Ryan [9:36 PM]:** U Ok babe?

**Michael [9:38 PM]:** Thinking about Eric a lot tonight. kinda rough. Mom suggested I stay here tonight. going to my house tomorrow morn.

**Ryan [9:40 PM]:** Sorry baby. need anything?

**Michael [9:43 PM]:** I’ll be ok. Thank u. Dinner tomorrow night?

**Ryan [9:45 PM]:** If u’re up for it definitely. love u mike

**Michael [9:46 PM]:** Love u so much Ry.

 

Michael smiled as he set his phone on the nightstand. He had been having a difficult few years, but was grateful for the love and support of his family, a great friend like Allison, and an amazing new boyfriend in Ryan. He knew that with their love, he could get through anything.


	20. Chapter 20

The next morning, Michael woke up to the sun pouring through the window, the birds chirping, and the neighbor’s wind chime blowing in the wind across the street. In his “not awake quite yet” haze, he forgot for a moment that he wasn’t at his own house in his own bed. He smiled when he smelled french toast cooking downstairs, and heard Debbie humming a cheerful tune.

There was a knock at the bedroom door. “Come in”, he called out.

The door opened, and in walked Ryan. He walked over to Michael’s bed, and climbed in next to him. Two guys over six feet tall sharing a twin bed was a bit of a challenge. It was a tight fit, but it was cozy, and they made it work. Michael was curled up in a ball, and Ryan laid down behind him and wrapped an arm around him and held on tightly. 

“What are you doing here?”, Michael asked softly, as he leaned into Ryan.

Ryan smiled, and kissed the skin underneath Michael’s earlobe. “You seemed so sad last night, and I wanted to check on you”, he said. “I drove over after I woke up. I chatted with your mom for a bit, then she sent me up here. How are you feeling?”

“I had a rough night”, Michael admitted. “I think I’m still dealing with some of the grief from Eric’s death, and falling for you so hard kind of scared me.”

“We can take things slowly”, Ryan suggested. “I don’t want to force you to do anything that you’re uncomfortable with.”

Michael laughed loudly, and his shoulders bobbed up and down against Ryan. “It’s a little late for that”, he said, a smile curling on his lips. “I think the things we've been doing are the exact opposite of ‘taking it slowly’”

Ryan laughed too. “Well”, he said. “We can slow it down if you want.”

Michael shook his head, and let his body melt into Ryan’s. “I don’t want that”, he said. “I want to be with you, Ry. I do. It’s just hard… falling in love again.”

“I know what you mean”, Ryan said. “I have a hard time trusting people after the whole Sarah thing.”

“We can help each other”, Michael said. “Is she still in town?”

Ryan sighed. “She showed up at my house again last night. I actually had to call the police to get her away from my house. Maybe she’s gone for good this time. I hope so anyway.”

“Shit, Ry”, Michael said. “I’m sorry, Baby.”

Ryan shrugged and kissed Michael again. “She’s not the same person she was all those years ago”, he said a little bit sadly. “It’s better that way. She knows that I’m with you now. I’m happy with where I am in life now.”

“Boys!”, Debbie called up the stairs. “Do you want some breakfast?”

“Coming Mama!”, Michael replied. He got up from the bed, and Ryan followed. They were about to walk down the stairs, when Michael pressed Ryan against the wall and kissed him.

Ryan giggled. “What was that for?”, he asked.

“I love you so damn much”, Michael replied.

Ryan laughed, as he wrapped his arms around Ryan’s neck, and kissed him back. “I love you too, baby”, he replied. 

Michael stroked Ryan’s stomach through the fabric of his shirt. “Damn”, he said. “You’ve been working out.”

Ryan laughed softly, dizzy with happiness from Michael’s touch. “I have to keep up with you”, he replied.

Down in the kitchen, Debbie had prepared a feast. There was french toast, omelets, home fries, orange juice, and coffee. Michael’s stomach rumbled just thinking about the delicious spread in front of him. “Thank you for breakfast, Mom”, he said, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her cheek. “Don’t you have to work today?”

“My morning meeting was cancelled”, Debbie replied. “I wanted to do something special for my favorite boys.”

“Thank you, Mama”, Michael said.  
“It smells delicious, Debbie”, Ryan said, as he took a seat at the kitchen table.

“Are you working today, Ryan?”, Debbie asked.

Ryan nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “I’m going in a little late. I wanted to spend the morning with Michael first.”

Michael smiled and blushed as he dug into his breakfast. “Thank you”, he whispered.

“Michael, are you going back to work today?”, Debbie asked. “You haven’t worked for a while. You shouldn’t stay away too much longer.”

Michael nodded. “Al is covering the morning practice for me, but I’m going in this afternoon to do the kids’ lessons and the evening practice. I’m going to work out between sessions if I can. I haven’t been in the water in a few days.”

“Don’t push yourself too hard, honey”, Debbie said. “If you need more time to yourself, don’t feel like you have to jump right back into a routine.”

“I know, Mom”, Michael said. “I promise not to fill up my schedule too much.”

***

After breakfast, Ryan and Debbie both went to work. Michael went back to his house to feed the dogs, then went for a long run, and enjoyed a leisurely lunch by the harbor. He was feeling happy and refreshed by the time he got to work.

Allison was waiting for him in his office when he arrived. “Mike”, she said when he came in.

“Hey, beautiful”, he greeted her, wrapping his arm around her and drawing her in for a hug. He kissed the top of her head. “Thanks for covering for me.”

Allison nodded. “Happy to help, anytime”, she replied. “But Mike…”

“What?”, Michael asked.

“I’m worried about you”, Allison said.

“Al, I’m fine”, Michael assured her. “Things have been rough, but I’m getting better. I’m going to be okay.”

“You’ve been thinking about Eric a lot, huh?”, Allison asked, never one to beat around the bush.

Michael nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “It’s hard because I think I was using him as an excuse to not try to make things work with Ry.”

“You can’t keep doing that, Mike”, Allison told him gently.

Michael nodded. “I know”, he said. “I had a long talk with Mom about it last night, and with Ryan this morning. I don’t want to forget the time I spent with Eric, but I need to move forward.”

Allison smiled. “I’m finally starting to rub off on you!”, she said gleefully.

Michael laughed and hugged her again. “I love you”, he replied.

“I love you too”, she replied. “and I love seeing you happy.”

“I am happy”, Michael said. “So happy.”

“Good”, Allison said.

“Now, get out of here”, Michael said. “You’ve been working hard lately, and you deserve a break. I can handle it from here. Take the rest of the week off.”

“You sure?”, Allison asked.

Michael nodded. “Yes”, he said. “Take a break. Thank you for helping me so much… with everything.”

“Can I help you plan the wedding?”, Allison asked.

Michael rolled his eyes. “If I end up marrying Ryan, then yes”, Michael said. “You can help plan the wedding.”

“If?”, Allison asked with a smile.

“Yes, IF”, Michael replied. “I love him, but who knows what’s going to happen?”

Allison laughed. “Whatever, Mike”, she said. “See you later.”

“Bye hon”, he said, watching her walk down the hall. He thought he heard her singing as she headed out. “If you liked it, then you shoulda put a ring on it…” He rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but to laugh as he entered his office, to get ready to start his day.


	21. Chapter 21

After Michael sent Allison home, he got ready for the kids’ swimming lessons. The kids did well, and Michael was proud when Cooper learned how to do a dive.

“Mr. Mike, did you see?”, Cooper said as he ran across the pool deck.

“No running, buddy”, Michael scolded. “but yes, I saw. I’m very proud of you!”

“Thanks!” Cooper exclaimed, as he ran to the locker room.

“Cooper”, Michael began sternly, hating that he had to hand out a lecture. Cooper was unabashedly his favorite kid (other than, of course, his niece and nephew) “What did I just say?”

“No running”, Cooper replied, looking slightly embarrassed. “Sorry, Mr. Mike.”

“Thank you”, Michael replied, smiling slightly.

Ryan came to pick up Cooper. “Hey”, he said when he saw Michael. 

“Hey”, Michael replied. He wanted so badly to kiss Ryan, but they were trying to keep their relationship somewhat private for the time being. He’d have to wait until later to do everything he wanted to with Ryan.

“How did he do today?”, Ryan asked.

“He learned how to dive”, Michael said proudly.

“Wow”, Ryan said. “That’s great.”

“I’m so proud of him”, Michael said. 

“Me too”, Ryan said. “Thanks for being an awesome teacher.”

“I try”, Michael replied. “So, I’ll see you for dinner later?”

Ryan nodded. “Yup”, he said. “I’m done with work for the day, so I’m ready whenever.”

“Cool”, Michael said. “I’m going to go for a swim now, then I have to run the evening practice, but I can be at your house by like, seven?”

“Perfect”, Ryan replied. “I want to get Cooper in bed by nine, if possible. It’s late for him, but he really wants to have dinner with you, so I’ll let him stay up as a treat tonight.”

When Ryan and Michael were both finished with work for the day, they met for dinner at Ryan’s house. Cooper had requested cheeseburgers and homemade french fries. The three of them cooked together.   
While they ate, Cooper excitedly chatted about his upcoming party for his eighth birthday. They were planning on having a pool party, then going back to Ryan and Cooper’s house for pizza. 

After dinner, they cleaned up, and Cooper went up to his room to work on his homework. Michael went upstairs to check on him before setting down on the couch with Ryan.

“Hey, buddy!”, Michael replied. He knocked on the door frame of Cooper’s bedroom. “Can I come in?”

“Mr. Mike!”, Cooper exclaimed.

Michael laughed. He walked into the room. “Buddy, you can just call me Mike when we’re away from the pool”, he said. “If you want to , that is.”

Cooper nodded. “Okay”, he replied.

Michael knelt down next to Cooper’s desk. “What are you working on?”, he asked.

“Math”, Cooper said, wrinkling his nose. “I like it, but it’s hard.”

“Do you like school?”, Michael asked.

Cooper nodded. He told Michael all about his schoolwork, and what he enjoyed most. Michael hung onto every word as he listened to Cooper chatter on about his teacher (her name is Miss Carter and all of the boys have crushes on her), his love for science (he wants to be an astronaut), and his friends.

Michael smiled. “I’m glad you like school”, Michael said. “When I was your age, school was hard for me.”

“Why?”, Cooper asked.

“I had a lot of energy, and sometimes it was hard for me to pay attention to my teacher. I used to get in trouble for talking a lot”, Michael replied. “and some of the kids weren’t very nice to me.”

“Why?”, Cooper asked.

“Because I was really skinny, and my ears were too big for my head”, Michael said, cringing at the painful memory. 

“Did they laugh at you?”, Cooper asked, very seriously.

Michael swallowed and nodded. “Uh-huh”, he said.   
“That’s not nice”, Cooper said, his expression serious. “This kid in my class named Jason has big ears, and kids laugh at him too. He’s really nice, though. Luke and I play with him at recess. He’s coming to my party.”

Michael smiled. “I’m glad he has you and Luke as his friends”, he replied. “You’re a really good kid, Coop.”

“You’re a good kid too, Mike”, Cooper replied. 

Michael laughed and gave Cooper a hug. “Thanks, kiddo”, he said as he got up to walk out of the room. “Okay, I’ll let you get back to your homework.”

“Okay”, Cooper said. “I hope you marry my dad.”

Michael closed the door behind him, and stood in the hallway for a moment. “Me too”, he whispered. He walked back downstairs and found Ryan sitting on the couch, absentmindedly flipping through the channels on the television.

“Hey”, Ryan said with a smile. “How’s the little dude?”

“He’s good”, Michael said, joining Ryan on the couch. “He’s working on his homework. He’s so smart.”

“Straight A’s”, Ryan replied. 

“Damn”, Michael replied, with a smile as he leaned back on the couch. “Awesome.”

“Sarah was really smart, and he has her eyes”, Ryan said softly. “I gave him my ridiculous hair, and of course, my sparking personality.”

Michael laughed. “There’s a lot more of you in that kid than you think”, he said gently.

“He’s a great kid”, Ryan said. “Thank you for being good to him.”

“Of course”, Michael said with a smile. “He’s an awesome kid. I love you Ry.”

“I love you too”, Ryan replied. “Man, I never get tired of saying that.”

“I never get tired of hearing it”, Michael replied, squeezing Ryan’s inner thigh.  
Ryan gently lifted up Michael’s shirt and placed his palm on his stomach. Michael put his hand on top of Ryan’s, and directed it to the places he most loved to be touched. Ryan slipped his fingers down the front of Michael’s pants. Michael’s stomach clenched, as each stroke pushed him further to the edge. With his free hand, he grabbed the arm rest of the couch as he threw his head back and groaned.

“Shhh”, Ryan said, remembering that there was an almost eight year old upstairs.  
Michael giggled, almost delirious with happiness. “Sorry”, he whispered, not actually sorry at all, because fuck, it felt good.

Ryan reached behind Michael, and wrapped his arm around Michael’s waist. He slipped his fingers underneath the waistband of Michael’s jeans and pinched his side. He ran his thumb along the soft skin and gently massaged the soft spot where the sharp jut of Michael’s hipbone drew his skin taut. “Shit, baby”, he said.

“What?”, Michael asked, suddenly feeling exposed. Embarrassed, he pulled his shirt down, and wrapped an arm around his waist.

“I’m obsessed with your body”, Ryan replied. “Like, you’re perfect.”

“Noooo”, Michael protested sheepishly.

“Um, yes”, Ryan replied, rolling his eyes.

Michael blushed deeply. “You’re so good to me, Baby”, he said, as he squeezed Ryan’s shoulder and mouthed the skin around Ryan’s ear.

Ryan’s arm was still around Michael’s waist. He tightened his grip, and continued to massage Michael’s stomach. Michael was still nibbling at Ryan’s ear. “Move in”, he whispered.

Michael stopped what he was doing. “Hmmm?”, he asked, caught slightly off guard.

“Move in”, Ryan repeated. “I want to live with you. Move in with me and Cooper.”

“Baby…”, Michael said softly.

“Is that a yes?”, Ryan asked.

Michael answered him with a kiss.


	22. Chapter 22

“Dad?” Cooper called from the top of the stairs. “Mr. Mike?”

Ryan squeezed Michael’s arm. “I’ll be right back”, he whispered. “Coming, Buddy!” He went upstairs and picked up Cooper, swinging him over his shoulders. 

Cooper giggled as Ryan carried him off to his room. “I wanted to say good night”, he said.

Ryan carried Cooper into his room, and dropped him onto the bed. “Good night, kiddo”, he said. “Hey, buddy. I need to tell you something.”

Cooper nodded. “Okay”, he said.

Ryan sat down on the edge of Cooper’s bed. “Mike and I have been talking”, he began. “He’d like to live here with us. Is that okay with you?”

Cooper’s eyes lit up. “Really?”, he asked.

Ryan nodded. “Yup”, he said.

Cooper smiled. “Cool”, he said sleepily. “Good night, Dad.”

“Good night, Coop”, Ryan said. He stood up, and left the room, closing the door behind him. He went back downstairs, and joined Michael on the couch again.

“Hey”, Michael said, his voice low. He squeezed Ryan’s inner thigh, and moved his hand up towards his crotch. He leaned on Ryan’s shoulder, and kissed Ryan’s neck. “I can’t wait until we can do this every night.”

“Me too, baby”, Ryan replied, putting an arm around Michael’s shoulder. “When do you want to get your stuff moved in?”

“I don’t know”, Michael said. “I was thinking about maybe not selling my house when I move in here. Maybe we can use it for when we have guests, like if your Mom and siblings come up, or maybe my mom can move out of her house and into mine.”

“Good idea”, Ryan said. “We’ll figure it out.”

Michael nodded. “Okay”, he said. “Maybe I can bring stuff here this weekend?”

“Great”, Ryan said.

Michael’s smile suddenly faded. “There’s one more thing we have to do”, he said. “We have to tell our Moms we’re moving in together.”

Ryan laughed. “I don’t think that’ll be a problem”, he said. “Your mom is awesome, and my mom is the most laid back person ever. It’ll be fine.”

Michael smiled. “Yeah. You’re probably right”, he said, as he dropped his head onto Ryan’s shoulder.

***

“Ryan Steven”, Ike exclaimed over the phone the next day. “Have you lost your damn mind?”

“Mama”, Ryan tried to reason with her. “He’s a wonderful man. He makes me feel good, and he loves Cooper.”

Ike sighed. “I don’t know, sweetie”, she said. “It seems like you’re moving a bit fast. You haven’t even been with him for a year.”

“Mom”, Ryan said. “It’s true that he and I haven’t been dating that long, but we feel very strongly about each other. I love him.”

“Oh Ryan”, Ike said softly. “I just want you to think about what you’re doing.”

“I have thought about it, Mama”, Ryan protested. He heard his own voice start to rise, and he felt guilty for yelling at his mother. “I love Michael. I want to live with him and spend the rest of my life with him. If you don’t get that, then you don’t get me.” He pressed the end call button on his phone, and dug the heels of his hands into his eyes. It wasn’t until his hands came back wet that he realized he was crying.

Michael let himself into the house, and joined Ryan at the kitchen table. “Hey, Baby!”. he said, cheerfully. Then he realized that Ryan had been crying. “Oh my god, Ryan. Are you okay?”

Ryan shook his head. “I’m fine”, he lied. “It’s nothing.”

“So, I just got back from my mom’s, and she’s so excited”, Michael said, happily chattering on a mile a minute. “She’s going to buy us some new kitchen towels and stuff. She’s even going to make us a quilt for the bed. She’s been taking a quilting class and she’s having so much fun with it. Oh! Do you want to use your bed or mine? We can put one in your guest room, or we can keep furniture at my house.”

“Mike”, Ryan whispered.

“Baby, what’s wrong?”, Michael asked. “Why did you tell me that nothing is wrong? You look sad. Are you okay?”

“My mom is pissed”, Ryan said sadly. “She thinks I’m nuts for wanting to move in with you.”

Michael’s face fell. “I don’t get it”, he said softly. “Do you feel that way too?”

“Fuck no”, Ryan said, shaking his head vigorously. “I love you so much, and we’re doing this. Fuck what my mom thinks.”

“You love your mom”, Michael protested. “Don’t you care what she thinks? Maybe we shouldn’t do this.”

Ryan shook his head. “No”, he said. “Well, I mean, yeah. Of course I care, but I’m a grown man, Mike. She can’t tell me what to do.”

Michael nodded, and pulled Ryan up from his spot at the table. He wrapped his arms around Ryan’s shoulders and kissed him deeply. “Let’s invite her up here”, he said. “We can show her how good our life is together.”

Ryan made a face. “I don’t know, man”, he said. “I mean, I love her and all, but she’s not going to change her mind on this. I don’t know if having her here will work out well. It will just cause a fight, and I don’t want to deal with that crap. I hate that she’s making me feel shitty about something that I’m really happy about.”

Michael shook his head. “We’ll figure out a way to get her to accept this”, he said. “Please? I want to do this for you.”

Ryan smiled. “Well…”, he said. “Okay. Thanks, Mike.”

“I fucking love you, Ry”, Michael said softly.

“I love you so much”, Ryan replied. He put his arms around Michael’s waist, and grabbed his ass. 

Michael laughed softly, and kissed the top of Ryan’s head. “I’ll do anything to make you happy, Baby”, he said. “You’ve done so much for me. It’s my turn to make you happy.”

“I really appreciate that, Mike”, Ryan said. “It will be nice to see her and I know that Coop will love having her visit, but I’m worried.”

“Call her”, Michael said. “We’ll make this work.”

Later that afternoon, Ryan called his mother to apologize for hanging up on her. He invited her to come visit. She was a bit reluctant too, but Ryan had insisted. Then Michael got on the phone and insisted even further. So, the plans were in place. She agreed to come later that spring when the weather was going to be a little bit better.

When Ryan hung up the phone, he felt a little better. He was still worried, but he loved his mother, and wanted to believe that she would accept his new living situation. He knew that once she got to know Michael, she’d love him and welcome him as part of the family.


	23. Chapter 23

A few months later, Michael and Ryan had settled into life together in Ryan’s house. Cooper’s birthday party had been a lot of fun. All of the kids enjoyed themselves, and the parents seemed to have fun as well.

Ryan and Michael were preparing for Ike’s visit. Even though Ryan wasn’t as mad at her now, he was still nervous about the visit. Even though he and Ike weren’t fighting anymore, she still hadn’t warmed up to the idea of Michael and Ryan living together.

Ryan was nervous for the weeks leading up to her visit, but Michael tried his best to calm him down.

One afternoon, while during Ike’s visit, Michael had to stay at work a bit later than usual. Ryan and Ike took advantage of their alone time to sit down together to talk. “I don’t know, Ryan”, she said, shaking her head. “I still don’t like this.”

“Why not, Mama?”, Ryan protested. “Why are you so against this?”

Ike sighed. She was quiet for a long time. She was trying to process what she wanted to say. “Oh, Ryan”, she said quietly. “You just don’t fall a lot, and I see how much you love Michael. I’m worried that you’re going to get hurt.”

“Mama, Mike and I are doing great”, Ryan said softly. “He’s good to me. He makes me so happy. Most importantly, he loves Cooper.”

Ike’s lips formed a small smile. “I don’t doubt that you love him, Ryan”, she said. “but you tend to move a bit too fast sometimes. It’s been a long time for you, and it just feels like you’re getting serious very quickly.”

“Mama”, Ryan said again. “Michael is so important to me. He’s smart, funny, and kind… and incredibly good looking.”

“He is a very handsome man”, Ike agreed.

“He’s beautiful”, Ryan said softly. “Inside and out.”

“Please just be careful, sweetie”, Ike said. “I’m going to go upstairs and take a nap, okay?”

“Okay, Mama”, Ryan said. “Remember, we’re having dinner with Michael and his mom tonight.”

“I’m looking forward to it”, Ike said. “I’ll see you in a little while, honey.”

***  
Later that afternoon, Michael came home from work, and Debbie joined them a little while after that.

“Hello, Sweetie”, Debbie said, wrapping Ryan in a tight hug, and pressing a soft kiss to his cheek. “Where’s your mom?”

“Upstairs”, Ryan replied. “She was taking a nap earlier, but she’s up now. She’s getting ready for dinner.”

“What’s wrong?”, Debbie asked, sensing Ryan’s discomfort.

Ryan sighed. “She’s just… really pissed about me and Mike living together”, he said. “I don’t know what her problem is. It’s not like she can say or do anything about it, but I wish I could reason with her.”

Debbie looked at Ryan for a moment. She pursed her lips into a line. “You leave your mother to me, sweetheart”, she said with a wink. “I’m a principal. I know how to deal with other parents.”

“Thank you, Debbie”, Ryan said, wrapping her in a big hug.

“Anything for my boys”, Debbie replied.

Michael leaned down to kiss her on the cheek. “Love you, Mom”, he said.

Debbie went upstairs to talk to Ike. “Illeana”, she called out softly, worried that she might disturb the other woman’s nap.

“In the guest room!”, Ike called back cheerfully. “And you can call me Ike”

Debbie smiled. “Okay”, she said. “Can we chat for a moment?”

“Sure”, Ike said. “Come in”

Debbie let herself into the room, and sat down. “So”, she began.

“How do you feel about the boys living together?”, Ike asked.

“I think it’s wonderful”, Debbie said, her eyes shining. “I love Ryan, and he’s so good to my son.”

“Ryan loves Michael very much”, Ike said. “That much is easy to see.”

“My baby boy has had a very hard few years”, Debbie said. “Ryan has helped him so much. I haven’t seen Michael this happy in a long time. He smiles more now, and he takes better care of himself. That’s all thanks to your son”  
Ike smiled. “Thank you, Debbie”, she said. “That’s nice to hear. I just worry about Ryan sometimes, because like Michael, he hasn’t been in a relationship in a long time. I’m worried that he’s moving too fast.”

“I was worried at first too”, Debbie said. “Like I said, Michael has had a very hard few years. When he first started seeing Ryan, I didn’t know what too think. I was concerned that he was going to get hurt, or worse, that he wouldn’t put himself out there to take a bit of a risk with his heart. He and I had a very long talk about it not long ago. Now that I see how much they love each other, I’m not worried anymore.”

Ike nodded. “I suppose you’re right”, she said.

Debbie smiled. “Let’s go join the boys for dinner”, she said.

The two women linked arms and walked downstairs to join Michael, Ryan, and Cooper. The five of them went to Michael and Ryan’s favorite restaurant, Seven West Bistro, and enjoyed their meal together.

Cooper was excited to have his grandmother visiting for a few days. He went on and on about his school, his friends, and his swimming lessons. Ike was proud of him, and proud of Ryan for raising such a smart, sweet kid. As an educator, Debbie loved hearing about how much Cooper was enjoying school. Michael and Ryan were happy to see their mothers getting along so well. The two guys held hands under the table and kept sneaking glances at each other throughout the meal.

When they finished eating, Debbie invited Ike to spend the rest of the evening with her. Ike happily accepted. Cooper went with them, because Debbie thought he might enjoy playing with Michael’s niece and nephew who were also going to be at her house. Ryan and Michael were thankful for that, because it meant that they could spend some time alone.

Debbie, Ike, and Cooper went off to continue their evening, which was sure to include lots of ice cream and Disney movies. Ryan and Michael returned to their home to enjoy each other’s company, and perhaps partake in some… adult activities.

Michael and Ryan had no sooner gotten into their bedroom, when Ryan began unbuttoning Michael’s shirt. His jeans had slipped low enough on his hips to display the deep V-grooves and the thin trail of dark hair from his belly button into his pants. Ryan couldn’t wait to get the rest of his clothes off of him. Michael lifted Ryan’s orange polo shirt over his head, and moved his hands all over Ryan’s body.

Ryan sank into Michael and dragged his teeth along Michael’s collarbones. He tightened his grip on Michael’s waist, and sank down to his knees, kissing Michael’s long torso the whole way down.

Michael rested his hands on Ryan’s broad shoulders, gently thumbing the muscles that connected his neck and shoulders. They were more defined now that Ryan had gotten stronger from swimming again, and Michael liked how they felt beneath his palms. Michael’s touch was gentle, but firm. It made Ryan’s vision blurry, and his heart started beating faster. He rose to his feet and kissed Michael again, gently biting at his lips. 

He undid Michael’s belt, and fiddled with the zipper. Then he pushed Michael’s jeans to the floor, along with his boxers. Michael undid Ryan’s jeans, and with their restrictive clothing no longer in the way, they collapsed onto the bed together.

Ryan straddled Michael, massaging his torso, and his defined muscles. He kissed Michael’s bare chest, and gently sucked on his nipples, and continued to kiss his way down Michael’s body. Michael felt light-headed, the blood rushing to his head and roaring in his ears. He moaned appreciatively and begged for Ryan to continue. Happy to oblige, Ryan kissed the skin around Michael’s belly button, and made his way to the tattoos that Michael had on each hip. He mouthed at each of Michael’s hipbones, his favorite spot on Michael’s body. Then he licked each tattoo, taking turns between the two.

Michael gasped as a warm feeling began to pool in the pit of his stomach. His muscles clenched as his body began to writhe beneath Ryan. “Ryan”, he choked out. “Fuck.”

“Good?”, Ryan asked between kisses.

Michael felt like he was going to black out. He was so happy, so content, and Ryan’s mouth felt so good on his skin. “God, yes”, he replied, his voice deep and raspy.

Ryan sank down onto Michael, their hips pressed together, and their dicks causing friction as they bumped up against each other. Ryan had a hand beneath Michael’s head, and he ran his fingers through Michael’s hair, as he kissed the skin below Michael’s earlobe. 

Michael’s whole body buckled, and his hips jerked involuntarily. This was a feeling like no other. This moment, this feeling. He had never been this happy before. He felt himself choke up, knowing what he needed to do. “Marry me”, he said softly.


	24. Chapter 24

Ryan bit at Michael’s lips and gently kissed him. Michael deepened the kiss and gently ran his hand along Ryan’s back. 

“I love you”, Ryan said.

“Is that a yes?”, Michael asked nervously.  
“That’s a hell yes”, Ryan replied, drawing Michael close. “In the short time that we’ve known each other, you’ve given me so much. You’re so good to me, and you love my kid. I couldn’t ask for anything else.”

Michael kissed Ryan’s shoulder. “You’re so good to me, and so good for me. You opened me up to love again. You changed my life, and you changed me. I want to be with you for the rest of my life. I want to raise kids with you and embarrass them with you.”

Ryan laughed, low and deep as he held Michael protectively. “That all sounds good to me, babe”, he replied.

Michael laughed too. “This is the beginning of something really good”, he said.

“I love you, sweetie”, Ryan said.

Michael blushed. “I like it when you call me sweetie”, he said softly, as he rolled over on his back.

“Our moms are going to go crazy”, Ryan said with a grin, as he traced lazy circles on the flat pane of Michael’s stomach.

Michael laughed. “You have no idea”, he said. “So, what happened with your mom? She okay with everything?”

Ryan nodded. “She is now”, he replied. “Thanks to your mom”

Michael grinned. “Yep”, he said. “Debs is the best.”

“Yeah, she really is”, Ryan agreed. “I don’t know what she said to my mom, but whatever it was worked wonders.”

“She worked her magic”, Michael said. “It’s what she does.”

“Thank her for me”, Ryan said. “I love my mom, but I don’t know what got into her.”

“She loves you”, Michael said. “She was just worried.”

“Yeah”, Ryan said. “I love her so much, but sometimes her overprotectiveness causes us to fight.”

Michael was quiet for a long time as he considered Ryan’s words. “Yeah”, he said. “I mean, I think we always fight with the people that we love the most. My mom is the most important person in my life, but we fight, usually about how I spent time when I was in my twenties, or when I didn’t study enough when I was a kid. It drove me crazy at the time, but she meant well.”  
“Moms do that”, Ryan replied. He ran his hand down Michael’s torso, and gently brushed his thumb over Michael’s hipbone. Michael sighed appreciatively, and Ryan licked up and down Michael’s ribcage and made his way to his nipple.

Michael laughed. “Can we maybe not talk about our moms while you do that?”, he asked.

Ryan burst out laughing. “I love you so much, baby”, he said.

At that moment, in the silence of the evening, a car pulled up the street, and the headlights of Debbie’s Mercedes streamed through the window, making patterns on the wall.

“My mom”, Michael said.

“My mom and Cooper”, Ryan replied.

Michael groaned. “I don’t want to put my clothes on”, he said softly.

“Me neither”, Ryan replied. “but we have to. After the moms and the kid are out of our hair, then we can take ‘em off again. I want to fuck you through the mattress tonight.”

Michael rolled his eyes. “So romantic”, he said.

Ryan laughed. “Well, it’s true!”, he said.

“Yep”, Michael replied, as he fastened his belt. “Let’s go downstairs and meet them. We’ll hang with the moms, then we’ll do…other stuff.”

“Stop thinking about my mom when you talk about our nightly activities”, Ryan protested.

“That goes for you too”, Michael replied, grabbing Ryan by the waist and kissing him roughly. “Let’s go”

“Wait”, Ryan said. “Should we tell them?”

Michael smiled. “Yeah”, he said. “Now?”

Ryan nodded. “Cooper too.”

Michael and Ryan went downstairs to greet Debbie, Ike, and Cooper. “Hi everybody!”, Michael said, leaning down to give Debbie a kiss.

“Did you boys have fun?”, Debbie asked.

Ryan nodded. “We did”, he said. “We actually have something to tell all of you. Can we go to the living room?”

Debbie and Ike exchanged a glance, and Ike nodded. “Sure, honey”, she said. “Should we be worried?”

Ryan shook his head. “No”, he said. “I am, a little. But you shouldn’t.”

When they were all seated around the living room, Cooper included, Ryan took a deep breath, and squeezed Michael’s hand. “Michael has….”, he began. “…asked me to marry him. I said yes.”

Ike broke out into a grin, and hugged Debbie. “Oh, I’m so happy”, she said. “Congratulations.”

Cooper jumped out of his seat. “Yes!”, he exclaimed.

Debbie got up, and walked over to where Michael was sitting. She took his hands in hers. “I love you, my boy”, she said softly. Her eyes were shining. She always cried in moments like this. Actually, she always cried. Those close to her had grown accustomed to it. DP Moments, she called them. “I know you two will be very happy together.

“Thanks, Mama”, Michael said, kissing the top of her head.

“Oh, Ryan Steven”, Ike said, as she reached up to hug Ryan. “I’m so happy for you.”

“You are?”, Ryan asked. 

“Of course I am, Baby”, she said. “I know I was hesitant about all of this at first, but Michael is a wonderful man, and I see how happy he makes you. Debbie set me straight.”

Debbie and Michael watched their interaction, and Debbie gently rubbed Michael’s back. “All it took was a little woman to woman chat”, she said with a grin.

Ryan looked down at Cooper. “What do you think, buddy?”, he asked.

“Mr. Mike is awesome”, he said. “He makes you happy, Dad. I think a wedding will be fun.”

“We’ll see if he still feels that way when he finds out he has to wear a suit”, Debbie whispered.

Michael giggled, and squeezed his mom’s shoulder. “He’s a good kid, huh?”, he said.

Debbie nodded. “He sure is”, she said.

Ike walked over to join them, and hugged both of them. “So much like my Ryan when he was that age.”

Michael looked over at Ryan and swallowed. “If that’s any indication of what he’ll be like when he grows up…”, he began softly.

Debbie wrapped her arms around Michael and smiled. She wiped away another tear. “I love seeing you like this”, she said. “I’ve waited a long time to see you smile again.”


	25. Chapter 25

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the epic delay in updates, folks!

After Ryan and Michael put Cooper to bed, the two of them spent some time in the living room with Debbie and Ike. After a while, Debbie decided that it was time for her to go home.

“Thank you for having me over tonight”, Debbie said, pulling Michael into a hug. “I love you, Baby.”

“I love you too, Mama”, Michael said, giving Debbie a kiss on the cheek. “Thank you for coming over tonight, and for hanging out with Cooper.

“He’s a good kid”, Debbie replied. “and it was my pleasure.”

“Well, we really appreciate it”, Ryan said. “And it seems like Cooper had fun.”

“Come here, Ryan”, Debbie said with a smile, as she drew Ryan into her arms for a hug.

“Thank you for coming over tonight”, Ryan said, as he kissed Debbie’s cheek. “It was nice to spend time with you.”

“I love you boys”, Debbie said. “And I love our special time together. Ike, it was wonderful to spend time with you too.”

“You too, Debbie”, Ike said. “Let’s you and I spend some time together again soon, all right?”

“That would be wonderful”, Debbie said, leaning over to give the other woman a hug. “Good night, all.”

Debbie walked out to her car and climbed inside to begin the drive home. Michael waited until he saw her car turn the corner before closing the door.  
“Well, that was a nice evening, wasn’t it?”, Ike said.

Michael and Ryan nodded. “It was wonderful”, Michael said.

“Well, I’m going to go upstairs and go to sleep so I can let you boys have your alone time”, Ike said with a wink.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Mother”, he groaned.

Ike laughed and shrugged. “That could mean anything”, she said with a shake of her head and an eye roll. “Don’t be crass, Ryan Steven.”

She went upstairs, and Michael and Ryan heard the guest room door click shut. “Well”, Ryan said. “Now what?”

Michael responded by lifting his hands up Ryan’s shirt, and gently massaging his torso.

“Baby”, Ryan said with a low, rumbling laugh.

Michael shrugged. “Your mom said”, he replied.

Ryan nodded, and undid Michael’s jeans, and slipped them off of his narrow waist. He cupped his hands around Michael’s hips, and thumbed his soft skin.

“Mmmm”, Michael said appreciatively, as he nestled his face into Ryan’s shoulder. He moved his hand up and down Ryan’s strong stomach, and pinched his side. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, honey”, Ryan said.

“Honey”, Michael repeated softly. “I like it.”

“Let’s go upstairs”, Ryan replied. He grabbed a bottle of wine and two glasses from the liquor cabinet, and led Michael up to their room. Ryan poured them each a glass of wine.

***

Michael and Ryan climbed into bed together, and leaned against the headboard. They held hands as Michael pressed his body against Ryan’s. “After the wedding, I think we should adopt another kid”, he said suddenly.

“Yeah?”, Ryan asked. 

“Yeah”, Michael replied. “I’ve always wanted kids, and you know that I love Cooper like he’s my own, but I want more kids.”  
“Me too”, Ryan said. “and Cooper will love being a big brother. I um… I think I kind of want a little girl.”

“I’d love to have a little girl”, Michael replied. “She’s not dating until she’s thirty-five.”

“I’ll drink to that”, Ryan said with a laugh as he clinked his glass with Michael’s.

Michael grinned. “So, then it’s settled” he said. “After the wedding, we start looking into adopting.”

“Fostering is an option too”, Ryan suggested. “Let’s start planning the wedding, then once everything calms down, we can look into some things.”

“Good idea”, Michael said. “I love you so much, baby. I can’t wait to spend the rest of my life with you.”

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to me”, Ryan replied. He would his arm around Michael’s waist, and held him tightly. He placed his hand on Michael’s stomach, and Michael placed his hand on top of Ryan’s and leaned into him.

Michael swallowed. “I feel the same way”, he said softly. “And like, I know we’re dudes, and dudes don’t often talk like this, but…”

“I know”, Ryan replied. “I know what you mean even if you can’t say it. If it’s hard for you to say things, that’s okay. I know what you’re trying to say.”

Michael laughed softly. “I want to try”, he replied softly. “Relationships are hard for me. Before Eric, I hadn’t really dated much, and when I was with him, things were good. When I lost him, I thought I’d never love again. I was scared to fall in love again for a long time. Then you came along, and you’re hot, and funny, and you’re not afraid of anything. You taught me how to open up again, and there’s nothing I could ever do or say to make that up to you. So… that’s how I feel.”

Ryan leaned his head on Michael’s shoulder. “You’re a good guy, MP”, he said. “You deserve to feel good about yourself. I’m happy that I was able to do that for you. I don’t always feel like I’m giving all that I can in relationships, so you telling me what I mean to you makes me feel good. After everything with Sarah happened, I was afraid that I wouldn’t be able to trust again, and now I do. I have you to thank for that.”

Michael squeezed Ryan’s hand. “I love you”, he said.

“I love you so much”, Ryan replied.

Ryan and Michael each finished off the wine, stripped naked, and fell asleep with their bodies pressed together.


	26. Chapter 26

“Okay” Michael declared as he looked around the kitchen table at Ryan and Allison. “My mom says that we have to decide on flowers.”

“Peonies”, Ryan said, as Allison and Michael turned to look at him. “What?”

“What the fuck is a peony?”, Michael asked.

“It’s a flower. It’s pretty”, Ryan said pouting, as Michael and Allie turned to look at him. “I am secure in my manhood! Allie?”

Allison shrugged. “Even I don’t know what they are. Sorry Ryan.”, she said. “Wait. Why do you know what a peony is?”

“I had a friend in college who was really into flowers”, Ryan said. “She wanted to be like, a flowerologist or something.”

“A botanist?”, Allie asked, rolling her eyes.

“Yeah, that”, Ryan replied, grinning at Allison.

“Can’t we just find some purple flowers and call it a day?”, Michael asked. “I like purple.”

“Nope”, Ryan said. “Orange peonies.”

“You guys are idiots”, Allison said with a laugh

“Thanks a lot!”, Michael said, as he threw his arm around her and kissed the top of her head.

“I say it out of love”, Allison replied smacking a kiss on his cheek. “So okay, Mikey wants purple. Ryan wants orange. Compromise doesn't really work here because those two colors would look ridiculous together.”

“I hate you”, Michael said, sticking out his tongue at her.

“I hate you more”, Allison replied, grinning at him. “Okay. I’m done with you two. I’m calling Hil and Debs. The three of us will plan the entire wedding, and you guys can go cuddle or whatever.”

“Or whatever”, Ryan said with a wink.

“Gross”, Allison replied.

“You love me”, Ryan shot back with a grin.

“Nope”, Allison said, trying and failing to keep a straight face. “I hate you too. Both of you get out of here so I can plan your wedding myself.”

“If you insist”, Ryan replied. “Come on, Mike.”

“She was being sarcastic”, Michael pointed out. “She doesn’t actually want us to leave. Right, Al?”

Allison smiled. “Well…”, she began.

“See?”, Michael asked, making a face at Ryan.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “Okay. Okay”, he said. “What do we need to do?”

“Seating charts, flower arrangements, find a location to have this wedding…”, Allison listed off as Ryan and Michael’s eyes glazed over.

“Okay, now I really have to go”, Ryan said. “I have to pick up the kid at school.”

When Ryan left, Allison turned to Michael. “So”, she said. “How are things?”

“Good”, Michael said with a smile. “Things are really good.”

“I know I say this all the time”, Allison began. “but I love seeing you so happy.”

Michael looked down at the table and smiled. “Thanks, Allie”, he said quietly. “I’m really happy.”

“Good”, Allison said. 

“We’re talking about another kid”, Michael said.

“Really?”, Allison asked, her eyes lighting up.

Michael nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “We were thinking about adopting or maybe looking into egg donors.”

“That’s so great, Mike”, Allison said. “You want a little girl, don’t you?”

Michael grinned. “How did you know?”, he asked.

“I just know”, Allison replied, leaning over to rub his back. “I can totally see you raising a little girl. You’re so good with your niece, and the little girls in class. It just seems right.”

Michael smiled. “Yeah”, he said. “Coop is an awesome kid, and of course I wouldn't mind another little boy, but yeah… I want a little girl.”

“You know”, Allison began. “If someone had told me a few years ago that you and I would later be sitting here having this conversation, I would have laughed at them.”

Michael laughed. “Me too”, he said. “Thanks for everything, hon.”

Allison gently kissed his cheek. “Anything for you, Mike”, she said. “Always.”

Michael’s eyes were glassy. He squeezed her hand. “Can I ask you one more favor?”, he asked.

“Of course”, Allison said. “What’s up?” 

“Will you be my best man?”, he asked shyly.

Allison raised her eyebrows and broke out into a huge grin. “Of course I will, babe”, she said. “It would be an honor!”

Michael drew her into his arms and hugged her tightly. “Thank you”, he said. “I love you.”

“I love you too”, Allison said softly, as she ran her hand up and down his back.

 

***

Planning the wedding was a long process. Michael and Ryan’s mothers and sisters, and of course, Allison were a big help in getting everything organized. It took a lot of compromise and a lot of eye-rolling to get it done, but they made it work. 

They had decided on a small, intimate ceremony in the backyard with just family and close friends. Michael got his wish for purple, and Ryan gave up on his dreams of orange, and agreed that a dark olive green would look better with the purple. Ryan’s brother Devon wore a light gray suit with a green tie, and Allison wore a knee-length purple dress.

As the ceremony began, Michael wrapped his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head. “You are the most beautiful best man I’ve ever seen”, he whispered to her.

Allison giggled and wrapped both arms around his waist. “Thanks”, she said. “You look great, too.”

The justice of the peace began the ceremony, Michael and Ryan said their vows, and kissed to the cheers of their family and friends, and then they were married.  
The reception was in a large tent in the backyard. Dinner was catered by a local restaurant. Before dessert, Devon got up to speak. Then it was Allison’s turn.

She cleared her throat before beginning. “Mike is my best friend”, she began. “We trained together for many years. We’ve supported each other’s careers. When we both retired from competition, we began teaching together. We’ve spent nearly every day together for…. well, many years. We’ve seen each other through good days, bad days, and really, really awful days. I won’t go into detail, but there was a time when I thought I’d never see Michael smile again.” At that moment, Michael reached up and grabbed Allison’s hand. She gently rubbed his wrist and smiled down at him. Ryan held his other hand. Michael squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that were welling up. Allison took another deep breath before continuing. She was trying not to cry herself. “Then he met Ryan. He met this great guy with an awesome kid. When Ryan first brought Cooper in for lessons, and I saw how he and Michael looked at each other, I knew that my best friend would be okay. He made Michael smile in a way that I hadn’t seen in a long time. He brought me my best friend back. Thank you Ryan, for being good to him, and thank you for being my friend too. I love you guys. To the groom…and groom!”


	27. Chapter 27

Later that evening after all the guests had gone home, Debbie, Ike, and Allison stayed behind to help clean up. Cooper was asleep on the living room floor.

Allison was sitting on the kitchen counter. Michael walked over to her and kissed her cheek. “Your speech was perfect”, he said. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome”, Allison said with a smile. “I meant every word. I love you, Mike.”

“I love you too”, he said. “So, you’re still okay with hanging out with Cooper while Ry and I are in Hawaii?”

Allison nodded. “Of course I am!”, she replied. She slid off of the counter and wrapped her arms around Michael’s waist. “I’ll do anything for you and Ry.”

Ryan joined them in the kitchen, and they broke away from their hug. “Hey, Al!”, he said. “Thanks for helping us so much with everything.”

“Of course”, Allison replied. “I love you both, and I’m always here for you.”

Cooper woke up from his nap and joined the three of them in the kitchen. “Hi everybody!”, he said sleepily.

“Hey, bud!”, Ryan exclaimed, picking him up and swinging him onto his shoulders. “Are you excited to spend a week with Auntie Allie?”

“Yup!”, Cooper exclaimed. “Auntie Allie, can we have some of your special chocolate chip cookies that you make for Mike and Dad sometimes?”

“I think that could be arranged”, Allison said with a smile. “What should we put in them this time?”

“M&M’s!”, Cooper exclaimed. “Can we make milkshakes?”

“Sure!”, Allison said. “I’m excited to hang out with you, Coop!”

“Milkshakes? Cookies with M&M’s?” Michael asked excitedly. “Can I hang out with you guys too?”

“I think you’ve had enough of my cookies for this lifetime”, Allison joked, as she poked Michael in the stomach.

Michael pouted. “Hey!”, he exclaimed. 

Allison rolled her eyes. “Mike, I was kidding”, she said.

“Cooper, be good for Allie okay?”, Ryan said.

“I know, Dad”, Cooper whined.

“We’ll have fun, right Coop?”, Allie said.

“Yup!”, Cooper said.

“Do you guys need anything else here?”, Allison asked.

Michael shook his head. “Nope”, he said. “We should be good. Thanks for everything. Seriously.”

Allison gave him a hug. “Of course, hon”, she said. “Love you.”

Michael kissed her cheek. “Love you too”, he said.

Ryan set Cooper back down, and he ran to the living room to get his duffel bag. Ryan hugged Allison. “Thanks”, he said. “We couldn't have done this without you.”

Allison returned his hug. “I love you both”, she said. “I hope you have fun on your honeymoon.”

“Oh. We will”, Ryan said with a wink.

Allison rolled her eyes and held up her hands. “I really don’t need details”, she said grinning. “but seriously. Have fun. You two deserve it.”

Cooper came back into the room with his bag, and hugged Ryan and Michael. “Ready, Allie?”, he asked.

“I sure am!”, she replied. “Let’s go.”

Allison and Cooper left, and Michael turned to Ryan. “So”, he said.

“So”, Ryan replied.

“The kids and the Moms are gone. Allie and Cooper are gone. It’s just you and me. We have…”, Michael said, pausing to look at his watch. “six hours until we have to leave for the airport.”

Ryan draped his arms over Michael’s shoulders. “Yeah”, he said.

Michael kissed Ryan deeply. “We’re married”, he said.

Ryan massaged Michael’s back and kissed his neck. “Yup”, he replied. “I love you, baby.”

“I love you too”, Michael replied, as he ran his hands through Ryan’s hair.

Ryan stepped back, and began to unbutton Michael’s shirt. He ran his hands up and down Michael’s strong, hard torso, massaging his thumbs into Michael’s soft warm skin. “Babe”, he whispered.

“What?”, Michael asked shyly.

“I’m married to the sexiest man alive”, Ryan said softly, awestruck, as if he were just realizing for the first time how in love with Michael he was.”

Michael’s arms were around Ryan, and his hands were up the back of his shirt. “Nah”, he said.

“Yes”, Ryan insisted, pushing Michael’s shirt off to expose his broad shoulders. He nestled his face into Michael’s shoulders and swirled his tongue along the deep indent of his shoulder blade.

“Baby”, Michael said, his voice deep and raspy. He pulled Ryan’s shirt over his head, and wriggled out of his own shirt.

“Fuck”, Ryan groaned, furiously trying to undo his belt and free himself from his restrictive clothing.

Michael slipped off his own pants, and Ryan pressed his body against Michael, and kissed him deeply. Michael reached out and fumbled to close the shade on the kitchen window. “Fuck, baby”, Michael said. “Every time you do that it gets better and better.”

Ryan laughed. “I try”, he replied. He opened the drawer next to the dishwasher and rifled through it until he found the bottle he was looking for.

“Here?”, Michael asked incredulously.

Ryan shrugged. “Why not?”, he asked with a grin.

“We’ve never done it here before”, Michael said.

“We’ve never been married before”, Ryan replied. “Turn over.”

Michael turned over, and Ryan put his hands on Michael’s hips, and ran his fingertips along Michael’s tattoos. “Hot”, he whispered, as he let himself enter Michael. He pressed Michael’s long, lean frame against the counter, and dug his fingers into Michael’s hips.

Michael leaned against the counter, and groaned as Ryan hit just the right spot. A string of profanities flew out of his mouth as he grabbed onto the sink faucet and held on to steady himself.

When Ryan finished, Michael turned around and sank into Ryan’s waiting arms. “Uhhhh…”, he croaked out, unable to verbalize how he felt.

Ryan knew. “Yeah?”, he asked. 

“Mmmm”, Michael said. “I love you.”

“I love you too, Babe”, Ryan said. He held Michael at arm’s length and rubbed his thumbs along Michael’s forearms as he looked him over. His body was covered in red marks from Ryan’s fingers digging into him, and from being pressed against the counter. “Oh, honey, that looks painful.”

Michael shrugged. “Worth it”, he replied, leaning in to kiss Ryan again.

“I can’t wait to spend all week doing this”, Ryan said.

“Yep”, Michael replied with a grin.

They gathered their clothes and walked upstairs. They changed into sweatpants and t-shirts and crawled into bed together. Michael curled up next to Ryan, and Ryan wrapped his arm protectively around Michael.

“Mike”, Ryan began.

“Yeah?”, Michael asked.

“Babe, I know we tell each other that we love each other all the time, and we’re good about expressing appreciation for each other and stuff, but like…”, Ryan started, as his voice broke.

“Ry…”, Michael said softly.

“I just…”, Ryan continued. “When I met you, I wasn’t doing that great. I was mad at Sarah, and I was trying to figure out how to raise a kid… and despite all that, you seemed like you really wanted to get to know me, and…you… you’re the reason I stayed in Baltimore.”

“Baby…”, Michael whispered. “I love you.”

“I love you too”, Ryan replied.

“Ry…”, Michael said softly.

“Yeah?”, Ryan asked.

“I tried to kill myself”, Michael said. “right after Eric died.”

Ryan pulled Michael closer, and breathed in, taking Michael’s familiar scent. He smelled like soap. “Honey”, he whispered.

“I was scared and lonely, and life didn’t seem worth it anymore. I saw a bunch of therapists and took all this medication, and stuff, and I know you knew about Eric and the therapy, but you didn’t know the other stuff, and… now you know.”

“Mike… where is all this coming from? You’re okay now, right?”

Michael nodded and leaned into Ryan. “Yeah”, he said. “After all that happened, my mom, my sisters and Allie wouldn't let me out of their sight. Therapy helped, and I still go once and a while. I don’t go every week like I did back then, but I like to go every month or so. I know you didn’t know that either, but now that we’re married, I wanted to tell you.”

“If it helps, then it’s a good thing”, Ryan said. “I’m sorry you felt like you had to hide it from me, though.”  
“I wasn’t really hiding it, to be honest”, Michael said. “I just didn’t know how to bring it up.”

“I’m glad you have someone helping you”, Ryan said. “and you can always talk to me about things.”

Michael nodded. “I know”, he said. “I guess that’s what I’m trying to say. When I went through all that, my family and Al were really helpful, and they still are. Then I met you. You were standing there with your kid, looking all hot, and then I saw you in my suit, and I knew you were the guy for me.”

Ryan burst out laughing. “Your suit was way to small for me, Twiggy”, he said.

Michael blushed. “Still looked good”, he replied. “ANYway. I just want to say thank you. I got to know you and you helped me open up. I trusted you with things that I hadn’t talked about in a long time. Even though I was doing pretty well by then, you made things even better. You make my life worth living. My family, and Allie, and you… you all are the reason why I’m here today.”

“Mike…”, Ryan began. “Thank you for saying all that. I’m glad that we’re part of each other’s lives, and I can’t wait to see what comes next.”

“Next is hot beach sex in Hawaii!”, Michael replied.

Ryan laughed. “See, that’s what I love about you”, he said. “We can be having this really intense conversation about our pasts, then you go and say things like that. I love you.”

“I love you too, Babe”, Michael replied.


	28. Chapter 28

The next morning, Michael and Ryan left for their honeymoon. They were excited to spend a week together on the beach with no responsibilities.

Halfway through the week, they were having so much fun, they joked about not going home. 

“This is the best week ever, seriously”, Michael said.

Ryan grinned. “There’s more”, he replied. “I wanted this week to be special, so I have a surprise for you.”

Ryan had arranged for a candlelit dinner for two on a private part of the beach. The meal consisted of filet mignon, island prawns, lobster bisque, and banana creme brûlée, all freshly prepared. Michael was in awe.

“Babe”, he said softly. “This is…”

“Good?”, Ryan asked

Michael nodded. “It’s amazing”, he said, as he dug into his dessert. “Thank you, baby.”

“I love you so damn much”, Ryan said, as he reached across the table to take Michael’s hand.

After dinner, they took a long walk along the beach. They walked hand in hand, and were quiet for a long time, just enjoying each other’s company. The only sounds around them were the waves crashing on the shore.

“Baby”, Michael began, finally breaking the silence. “That was incredible. That was the best meal I have ever had.”

Ryan squeezed Michael’s hand. “I just thought an incredible guy deserved an incredible meal. I love you.”

“I love you too, Ry”, he said.

“Mike”, Ryan began. His voice was beginning to break, but he held strong. “You are an amazing person. You are so smart, sexy, funny, and so good with kids, the kids you work with, and Cooper. You’ve been through so much, but you don’t let your past define you. You are so much stronger than you think you are, and so much stronger than I could ever be. I just want you to know how very much I love you.”

“I know”, Michael said softly, as his own voice started to break. “Whenever you tell me that you love me, I just feel so damn lucky. I’m lucky to have had the experiences that I’ve had both good and bad. I’m lucky to have the family and friends that I have. I’m lucky to have you and Cooper. I’m so lucky and happy that I get to live this life. I’m lucky that I have you by my side living it with me. I’m so much happier than I’ve been in a long time, and I just…”

“Yeah”, Ryan said softly, as he squeezed Michael’s hand and rubbed his wrist.

“And… I love you too”, Michael finished.

Ryan smiled into the darkness. “You’re incredible”, he said.

They walked the rest of the way back to the hotel in silence. They felt so lucky to have found each other. They both thought a lot about the conversation that they had after dinner. They thought about the dinner too, because, wow was it delicious. Hearts and stomachs full, they wordlessly walked into the room and began to undress.

Once they were laying on the bed, Ryan pressed his palm against Michael’s hard stomach and began to kiss his way down his long torso. Michael ran his fingertips along Ryan’s strong shoulders. Ryan dragged his teeth along Michael’s hip, and swirled his tongue around the jut of bone. Michael sighed appreciatively and dug his nails into Ryan’s back. Ryan’s hand was on Michael’s other hip, and he moved his hand up and down Michael’s side, applying pressure with his thumb.

Michael’s entire body buckled, and his hips jumped nearly a foot off the bed. “Jesus, Ry”, he groaned.

“That good, huh?”, Ryan asked.

“Uhnf”, Michael groaned as he threw his head back against the wall. He felt like he was seeing stars. “Baby, I…”

“Yep”, Ryan replied, grinning widely, as he snuggled against Michael’s side.

Michael grabbed Ryan’s face, ran is hands through Ryan’s hair, which was growing long again, and placed a rough kiss on his mouth. Ryan gently deepened the kiss, as he held Michael protectively. He had a hand on his neck, and massaged the skin underneath Michael’s earlobe.

That was how the rest of their time in Hawaii went. Good food, romantic dinners, walks along the beach, and plenty of time together in and out of the bedroom. They were both so happy. Although they were having plenty of fun in Hawaii, at the same time, they couldn't wait to get home to begin the rest of their lives together. 

***

After they got home from the airport, they went to pick up Cooper at Allison’s house. They both gave her a hug, and thanked her profusely for spending the week with him.

“It’s no problem, really”, Allison insisted. “We had fun, right bud?”

Cooper nodded. “Yeah!”, he said. “We made cookies and milkshakes and ate pizza and went to O’s games and had chips with crab on them and made cookies!”

Michael laughed. “You made a lot of cookies, huh?”, he asked.

“Yeah!”, Cooper said. “Chocolate chip and M&Ms and peanut butter and nuts! But Allie said we had to eat healthy stuff to so you wouldn't get mad, so we had salad at dinner last night!”

“Breathe, buddy”, Ryan said as he and Mike both burst out laughing.

“Yeah”, Allie said, wrapping her arm around Michael’s waist. “I figured Mr. Health Nut over here would kill me if I gave the kid too much junk food.”

“I wouldn't say I’m a health _nut_ ”, Michael protested. “I just like to take care of myself and save the treats for special occasions.”

“You’re more of a health nut than I am”, Ryan said. “although you did have a lot of treats on the trip.”

“And yet, he didn’t gain a single pound, the jerk”, Allison said, glancing over at Michael and looking him over.”

Michael blushed. “Sorry”, he mumbled. 

“I’m just teasing you”, Allison said. “You look great, actually. You always look good.”

“Thanks, babe”, Michael replied.

“I look great too, right?”, Ryan asked, not wanting to be left out.

“Hot”, Michael said, taking a bite of the twizzler that Allison handed him.”

“You do”, Allison agreed. “You’ve been swimming a lot, right?”

Ryan nodded. “Yeah”, he said. “I want to try to go more after work now that the wedding and the planning is over and I have more time.”

“Cool”, Allison said. “We can chat later if you want to set up a time to come in. I’ll give you first dibs on a time and a lane.”

“That’s why I love you”, Ryan said, giving her a hug. He turned to Cooper. “You ready to go, Coop?”

“Yup”, Cooper said. “Thanks Auntie Allie. I had fun.” He wrapped his arms around her waist.

Allison hugged him back and squeezed his shoulder. “I had fun too, kiddo. I hope we can hang out again soon.”

Ryan smiled at their interaction. “Okay, Cooper”, he said. “Let’s go. Let’s give Mike and Allie some time to hang out.”

***

When Cooper and Ryan left, Michael and Allison sat down at the kitchen table. “So did you have fun?”, Allison asked.

Michael nodded. “It was amazing”, he said. He told her all about the beach, and the walks, and the candlelit dinner that Ryan had planned. “He makes me feel so good, Al.”

Allison smiled. “I’m glad”, she said. “You deserve to feel good, Mike.”

“He makes me so happy. He does nice things for me, and makes me feel wanted”, Michael said. “He makes me laugh. He’s a good listener. The way he looks at me makes me feel attractive.”

Allison’s smile grew wider as she reached across the table for Michael’s hand. “Good”, she said. “You’re such a good guy, Mike. You deserve someone who makes you feel that way.”

“Thanks, Al”, Michael said. “I appreciate that. What about you? Have you found that special someone yet?”

Allison rolled her eyes. “Not yet”, she said. “I’ve tried a few online dating sites, but there are a _lot_ of weirdos out there.

Michael laughed. “You find someone”, he said. “Take your time, don’t rush into anything you’re not comfortable with. You’ll know when it’s right.”

“Yeah”, Allison said with a smile. “I know. Thanks, Mike.”

“Of course”, he said. “Ryan and I will be here for you to make sure that anyone you end up with treats you right.”

Allison laughed. “Oh, I know you will”, she said. “I love you.”

“Love you too”, Michael replied.


	29. Chapter 29

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end.

Over the next few weeks, Ryan and Michael researched adoption options. It was a long process, but they eventually found a good option. There was a young girl who lived nearby. She was pregnant but had decided that she was unable to keep her baby. It was going to be a little girl, and the mother was looking for a nice family to adopt her.

Ryan and Michael got in contact with her and went to meet with her. She was a girl in her early twenties named Emily who got pregnant, but wasn’t ready for a family. Her daughter was due in a few months.

They had to go to through a lot of interviews and paperwork to get everything in order. It was a stressful procedure, but soon enough, the plans were in place.

Michael and Ryan were willing to negotiate an open adoption, but Emily told them that she would prefer a closed adoption. She worried that getting updates about her biological daughter would make her feel guilty about not being there for her. She wanted her daughter to grow up in a loving home, and thought that it would be best if she wasn’t around.

“So, um”, Michael began, during one of their meetings. “You don’t care that Ryan and I…that we’re…gay?”

Emily actually laughed. “Seriously?”, she asked. “Of course I don’t care. You guys seem like nice guys. You’re already great parents to your son. I’m confident that this little girl will have a wonderful life with your family.”

Michael smiled and nodded. Ryan wrapped his arm around Michael’s waist and smiled. too. Michael leaned back into Ryan and smiled.

“Great”, Ryan said. “That’s great.”

“We’re going to do everything we can to give her a happy and loving home”, Michael promised.

“I know you will”, Emily replied.

“Cooper, too”, Ryan said. “He’s going to be a wonderful big brother.”

Emily grinned. “Yeah”, she said. “He seems like a great kid.”

“One of the best”, Michael replied.

“Have you thought of any names?”, Emily asked.

Michael looked at Ryan and they both shook their heads. “Michael and I actually thought you might want to name her”, Ryan said.

Emily shook her head. “That should be up to you guys”, she said. “She’s your little girl. You should name her.”

 

***

Later that night, Ryan and Michael sat at the kitchen table. They were scrolling through a baby name website on the iPad. Cooper and Luke were playing video games in the basement.

“Maybe we could do something to honor our moms?”, Michael asked. “Is there a way to combine Debbie and Illeana?”

“Diana?”, Ryan suggested.

Michael considered it. “Put that on the maybe list”, he said. “I don’t know. I like it, but I kind of want something different.”

“Hmmm”, Ryan said. “Remember when people were naming their kids after fruit? Banana? Kiwi?”

“But not too different”, Michael said.

Ryan laughed. “Okay”, he said, while scrolling through more names. “Dakota?”

Michael wrinkled his nose. “It makes her sound like a cowboy”, he said with a laugh.

Ryan rolled his eyes. “You’re hopeless”, he said. “Okay. What do you suggest?”

“Rhiannon?”, Michael suggested.

“Rhiannon rings like a bell through the night”, Ryan sang off key, quoting the Fleetwood Mac song. “I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Sarah is definitely on the no list”, Michael said, as he looked through the names on the website again.

“Definitely”, Ryan agreed. He leaned over Michael and continued to scroll through the suggestions. “Hey. What about Tessa?”

Michael considered it for a moment. Then he smiled. “I like it”, he said. “Good idea, Ry.”

“Thanks, babe”, Ryan said with a smile.

Michael let out a sigh of relief. “So, that’s settled”, he replied.

“Now we need a middle name”, Ryan said.

“Ileana”, Michael said immediately.

“Yeah?”, Ryan asked. “What about your mom? Did you want to do something to honor her or anyone else in your family?”

“Well, I thought that if I gave you the middle name, maybe you’d let me do something”, Michael said.

“Sure. What do you need, babe?”, Ryan asked.

“Can I ask Allie to be the godmother?”, Michael asked.

Ryan grinned. “Of course you can.”, he said. “She’s family.”

***

They had a name picked out, and they had decided to ask Ryan’s brother Devon and Allison to be the godparents. Both had happily accepted. Now all that was left to do was paint the nursery.

They picked out pastel colors and pictures of animals to decorate the walls. Cooper had been a big help with the selection and the painting. He was so excited to welcome his new little sister to the family, and Ryan and Michael were thrilled that they had a great kid who was making this so easy.

Tessa Illeana Phelps-Lochte was born on a sunny Saturday morning. Both mom and baby were doing well.

When Ryan, Cooper, and Michael went to take her home, they thanked Emily over and over again for being part of expanding their family.

“Of course”, Emily said. “I know you’ll give her a good home.”

“She’s so beautiful”, Michael said softly.

Ryan wrapped one arm protectively around Michael. With his other hand, he gently touched his newborn daughter’s cheek. “Hi there pretty girl”, he said. “Welcome to our family.”

“Do you want to hold her, Coop?”, Michael asked.

Cooper nodded. “Yeah!”, he said.

“Okay”, Michael said. “Sit down, okay?”

“Yup”,Cooper replied, as sat down in the chair. Michael bent down and carefully placed Tessa into Cooper’s waiting arms. 

“Hi Tessa!”, Cooper said softly and sweetly as he looked down fondly at his new sister. “I’m excited to be your big brother. I’m happy that you’re part of our family because you and I have the best Dads in the world."

Ryan wrapped his arms around Michael, and Michael placed his hands on top of Ryan’s. They both watched Cooper and Tessa fondly. After all they had been through, they were so happy to have each other. The four of them were going to have a wonderful life together.


End file.
